Andrew L. Urban.
Both foreign and domestic policy decisions by the Albanese Labor government are being skewed by the Muslim vote in a handful of seats, mostly in Western Sydney. Protecting this vote has fused Labor’s anti-Israel sentiment in foreign policy with its failures to tackle Islamic terrorism and antisemitism domestically.
This corrosion of the government priority to protect the community is clear and noticeable: “…the Australian government and parts of the Australian media treat Islamic terrorism as beyond scope for scrutiny. Is this to protect social cohesion or to protect the Muslim votes of Labor MPs?” writes Chris Mitchell, media columnist for The Australian, under the headline: “Soft Labor seems content to allow extremism to be swept under the carpet”. He also noted: “Albanese said explicitly in Perth only last week that neo-Nazis – rather than radical Islamists – are responsible for antisemitism in Australia.” And “Why did Albanese stay silent when protesters chanted “F..k the Jews” at Australia’s most famous building only two days after the bestial murders, rapes and kidnappings by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel on October 7, 2023?”
Mitchell believes that “Australia needs (Royal Commissioner) Bell to find that Jew hatred here is not the preserve of neo-Nazis. Antisemitism is spread by extremist Islamic preachers who push the hate of the Muslim Brotherhood and of Iran’s ayatollahs to young Australian Muslims.”
A week before Michell’s article, Phil Shannon in Quadrant wrote: “There is a largish fan base amongst Muslims in the West for Islam’s anti-Western tenets. Sharia law, for example, has a large following amongst the West’s Muslims. A 2019 study of Australian Muslims found 61% of men in Australia want classical Sharia recognised in Australian law, whilst 25% want to implement Sharia punishments. Approaching half (43%) of all Muslims in Australia identify as strict Muslims who follow Islam according to the laws of Sharia (all these figures are from the Muslim-friendly Melbourne Asia Review).” The headline on his article was pithy: “Got Muslims, Got Problems”.
And beyond the problem of protecting Muslim votes with Australian domestic prescriptions lies the question of how much is Labor’s domestic policy a bendy-toy, pushed and pulled by forces that do not align with Australian values? This question goes to the failure of this Clayton’s Royal Commission to explore that aspect of Islamic influence in Australia.
The overt Albanese/Wong Labor’s antisemitic, pro-Palestinian (pro-Muslim) stance has disturbed many voters and arguably helped propel One Nation’s favourability.