'Sleeper cells' warning in Australia
Pastor Dale Morgan
'Sleeper cells' warning in Australia*
* Story Highlights
* Up to 3,000 in "sleeper cells' in Sydney, Australian report warns
* Muslim community "vulnerable" to radical Islam, report says
* Australia easy target for spread of radical message, government
adviser says
CANBERRA, Australia (Reuters) -- Australia has a bigger portion of
Muslim youths at risk of turning to radical Islam than any other Western
nation, with up to 3,000 in "ideological sleeper cells" in Sydney alone,
a government-backed study said on Monday.
Between 2,000 and 3,000 youths, or about 1 percent of Sydney's
200,000-strong Muslim population, had already been targeted by radical
Islamic teachers, with some at risk of making the jump to militancy, the
research said.
"The radical teaching base here is relatively stronger than you might
expect it to be in the UK, the Middle East or the U.S.," study author
Mustapha Kara-Ali told Reuters.
"The youth community here is vulnerable and could be acted upon for
recruitment and further radicalization."
Australia has around 340,000 Muslims, or around 1.6 percent of the 21
million population.
But the percentage of radicalized Muslim youths was bigger than the
United States or the UK, where the ideological pool was of similar size,
but off a 1.6 million base, Kara-Ali said.
Kara-Ali, a member of Prime Minister John Howard's Muslim advisory
board, said it was far harder for radicals to spread an extremist
message in other countries, where moderate groups were well placed to
resist their message.
"The Muslim community is relatively new in Australia. Given that, there
isn't an established moderate Islamic order with deep roots in the
community and the extremists are exploiting this," he said.
Australia, a close U.S. ally, has never experienced a militant attack on
home soil, although more than 20 people have been arrested and accused
of terrorism-related offenses.
The country's top Shia Muslim cleric said last week he supported the
Hezbollah militant group and attacked the Australian government for
"defending terrorism" because of its support for Israel.
Howard said on Monday Australia was harboring would-be militants with
the desire to emulate attempted car bombs in London over the weekend and
the attack on Glasgow airport.
"We shouldn't delude ourselves that there aren't a small number of
people in our own community who would want to do this country harm if
they got the opportunity," he said.
Australia's Muslim clerics have been involved in a string of recent
controversies, straining relations with both moderates and the wider
community.
Sheikh Taj El-Din Hilaly stepped down as mufti of Australia last month
after comments seen as justifying rape and saying Muslims had a greater
right to be in Australia than white Australians of convict heritage.
Kamal Mousselmani, head of the Supreme Islamic Shia Council of
Australia, prompted more outrage with his declaration of support for
militant group Hezbollah.