Jews and Muslims “Downunder”: Emerging Dialogue and Challenges · 111happening in Palestine and Iraq and they were bringing the war home
to those who were funding it.”^48 In a discussion on the topic “Should
Muslims subscribe to Australian values?” held in Sydney in April 2006,
the conclusion of Hizb ut-Tahrir was “a firm no.”^49 The group also held
a meeting in August entitled “Israel is an illegal state which no Muslim
will ever recognise.” At the end of the meeting, one speaker warned that
all Jews in Israel needed to have a foreign passport as they would have to
return to the lands they came from. Another radical group is the Federa-
tion of Australian Muslim Students and Youth (FAMSY), which has sup-
ported the position of the Muslim Brotherhood in the past and claimed
that the Australian government is carrying out a war against Islam. It is
difficult to know to what extent these radical views represent mainstream
Muslim society because there are so many Muslim ethnic groups in Aus-
tralia and no authoritative research has been conducted on the topic.^50
American researcher Steven Emerson argues that these groups, whom
he describes as the “cultural Jihadists,” make the “military jihad pos-
sible.”^51 From her study of Muslims in Australia, Nahid Kabir has argued
that “militant Islamic activities and worldwide terrorism have impacted
negatively on moderate Muslims in the West” and have contributed to
discrimination against Muslims in finding employment.^52
Anti-Muslim Prejudice among Jews
Fear of and prejudice against Muslims can also be found, in varying de-
grees, in some segments of the Jewish community, including some in
positions of religious leadership. This is more of an undercurrent that
might be expressed by Jewish children or individuals. However, there
has been no known incident of Jewish violence against Muslims in Aus-
tralia while the official Jewish leadership, both religious and lay, opposes
any discrimination toward Muslims and is highly critical of verbal and
physical attacks. Indeed, a number of Jewish leaders have been active in
promoting interfaith initiatives that aim to counter anti-Muslim feelings
in the community, as will be discussed in the next section.
Government Responses
The failure of some Arab Muslims to integrate successfully into Austra-
lian society and the growth of radical Islam has challenged the accepted