For a long time I have written and spoken about the issues that we, as advocates in the Race area have had to put up with. However we have never gotten any support from governments of a number of persuasions. Earlier today I was given a copy of a letter from a dear friend and colleague Dr Anne Aly. All of us know Anne as a person who has never shirked the opportunity to speak out against terror and related matters. This letter encapsulates exactly what it is that she has to put up with on a daily basis. Then to have her commitment or sincerity questioned by a Prime Minister prepared to forsake morals in clutching on to his job as PM is abhorrent. This is the text of Anne’s letter.
– Suresh Rajan.
The Hon. Tony Abbott, MP Prime Minister Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600
Dear Mr Abbott
I am writing to you in my formal capacity as the Founding Chair of People against Violent Extremism Inc (www.pave.net.au) but also as a member of the Muslim community and an academic researcher and practitioner in countering violent extremism.
Specifically I am writing regarding certain comments made by you in your address on National Security (Canberra, February 23, 2015). In your address you state:
“I’ve often heard Western leaders describe Islam as a ‘religion of peace’. I wish more Muslim leaders would say that more often, and mean it.”[emphasis added]
In response to this comment, I would like to share with you my personal experience as a Muslim who has spoken out – and meant it.
Last year I was quoted in the Australian media in reference to Islam and the barbaric practices of Daesh. The article, in which I stated that beheadings are not part of the Islam tradition, caught the attention of an anti-Islamic group by Robert Spencer. According to Spencer’s website, Jihad Watch, my comments were “designed to comfort and reassure non-Muslims”.
Spencer and his followers claimed that my comments were fabricated, that I was “lying about Islam” and that I was “an expert at taqiyya”. Like many of my counterparts who have also spoken out, I have been labelled an “Islamist apologist” even though the majority of my media commentary is based firmly in academic research and practice.
In response to my public comments, I received a barrage of hate mail with comments such as “you are vile scum” and “I will dance on your grave when you die”. I was also put on a ‘who to kill’ list that has been published on the internet. Since then, I continue to receive regular hate mail – many from people reiterating your very words: ‘Muslims don’t speak out and they don’t mean it when they do’.
I have been insulted, threatened, verbally attacked and had my credentials questioned – all because I spoke out. I should also state that I have never received any threats from any member of Australia’s Muslim communities. Instead I have had messages of support and encouragement from Australian Muslims as well as Muslims in Europe and the United States.
Mr Abbott, I hope that this demonstrates the personal expense of speaking out about radicalisation and extremism. I can no longer walk the 30 minutes to my office or enjoy the 10 minute bicycle ride to campus because of the fear of being targeted by an anti-Islamic member of public. I have had to change the locks on my doors at home and move my team on campus three times in the last six months to different secure facilities each time our location has been revealed. I would like you to understand the fear and insecurity that my family faces each day because of my decision to speak out and because of the work that I do – but mostly because I happen to be a Muslim women doing it. Mr Abbot, I wish to express how deeply your comments hurt those of us who have sacrificed our own safety and security, as well as our time and resources, to make a stand against violent extremism. I wish that you could realise just how much damage those words have done to the good work we are doing on a daily basis to prevent young Muslims from falling victim to the scourge of Daesh.
Last month I was invited by President Obama to attend the White House CVE Summit in Washington. My nomination for this event came through the US Embassy and my travel was completely self – funded. I was the only Australian civil society representative to attend the event though I can point to many more Australians who are also making productive and positive contributions to CVE. In his inspiring speech to the White House Summit civil society participants on February 18, President Obama spoke of the importance of the civil society role in CVE. He also spoke positively of the great contributions that Muslim Americans are making to addressing violent extremism. Australian Muslims are also making positive contributions Mr Abbott. Just last week, PaVE sponsored a Muslim Your Voice Youth Forum here in Perth. The young people who attended spoke of their own fears of Daesh and the issues they are facing with radicalisation and violent extremism in their communities. Together they came up with some possible solutions to this issue – they are doing this in the context of consistently being defined as part of the problem, instead of part of the solution. We are not blind to the threat of Daesh inspired violence. We are not quiet about the threat. We are not sitting on our hands doing nothing.
I sincerely implore you Mr Abbott, to consider the impact of your words, for words have the capacity to change nations and inspire masses. I understand that you have a political agenda but please understand the damage that this rhetoric is doing in undermining the years of good work that we are trying to do as practitioners in CVE. Personally, I am deeply disappointed that my elected leader, a person to whom I should be able to look up to, considers my work not only insignificant, but even worse, insincere. Could you please explain to me Mr Abbott, how much more I need to do? How much more hate mail do I need to endure to prove to you that I am sincere? Please explain to me how many more insults and threats from those who support your views do I need to bear before you consider my efforts sincere?
I would appreciate a response to my letter at your earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely
Associate Professor Anne Aly
Founding Chair, People against Violent Extremism.
CC: Senator the Hon George Brandis QC
Senator Christine Milne
Leader of the Opposition
Shadow Attorney General
Honourable Colin Barnett MLA










Professor Aly’s letter left me feeling sad and angry.
Sadness because here is a vivid example of the individual cost of belonging to a group of people targeted unfairly by Australia’s vocal, but essentially mindless and dangerous community of thugs and bigots urged on by racist hecklers from the media.
Anger because the Prime Minister of Australia, who should be an agent for social cohesion, has demonstrated yet again that his ONLY rationale for his every word and action is self-interest.
He is beneath contempt, and nothing he does is in my name.
Everthing you said. Thankyou.
All of the above, well said. Sad that we have a “leader” of such low intellect, you probably are still waiting on your reply.
Mr Abbott said what he felt, that the Muslim leaders were not doing their bit at the time, he is within his rights to say that without being told it is his ‘political agenda, he is our PM for goodness sake, he has our safety as a priority.
I am glad the PM said what he did, it made the Islamic leaders more accountable. I too, wanted to hear what input these Muslim leaders were having regarding their youth, youth that could be a danger to the Australian community.
As a fifth generation Australian, I am sickened by the behaviour of the Islamic extremists and have never seen the likes of it, Australian’s have now been dragged into this too, regrettably. I am fed up with Islam.
Please Ann Aly, stop criticising our PM, whom I am pretty sure you did not give your vote to, and let him protect his people, even if it means criticising certain members of society for not doing what is expected of them.
It is indeed sad to hear the consequences of speaking out. Mr Abbott is too busy scaring people in the community the very same people that threaten you. Mr Abbott and his security team are not interested in protecting you because it feeds into their agenda of scaremongering. It is not the Muslim society that are a threat, it is the bigots in our community that are getting their opinions from redneck radio and certain newspapers.
People against extremism should start with Muslims, but Im guessing besides Rifi you wouldnt get any others to speak out.
And now she knows what life is like for a majority of gay people with Muslim co-workers or neighbours. I’ve encountered it too often to have any sympathy.
Yes but that isn’t their problem either ?….. so their problem is the fact that we have a right to air our fears about whats going on in this country but you are talking about Zaky,s supporter you know the one that thinks some female journalists deserve to be gangraped? God help us if it was a white Anglo Australian scumbag said of a Muslim female journalists !!!
Sadly, Tony Abbott will not respond to your heartfelt, considered, educated letter. It will not sit with his agenda, his ideology, his Catholic belief system. Also sad is that since his election as opposition leader and now as PM he fails to listen, even less comprehend, the widening divisions he is fuelling in our communities… a subject I have frequently communicated to him without response. As an ordinary person, I only had personal perceptions to inform my fears. Today I fear he is still not listening even to highly educated persons with daily experience of hate and abuse. It appears that derision, divisiveness and sloganism are his weapons of choice.
Wow. I hope you read this Tony.
I too am sick of the whipped up hatred. I have worked with a number of muslims over the years, and they have been all good and decent people. I cannot say the same about many of those espousing christian values
Dear Anne Aly. I would like to thank you personally for your efforts to stop the fear and hate being built up in this country by our own Prime Minister. It will end in tears. Hopefully the people of Australian will stand up and be counted.
As an older Australian with several generations in this country, I assure you that we are listening and have heard your message. Prayers with you and your people.
Peggy Sanders
Thanks Professor Aly.
Same old narrative from the pro-Islamist side. That anyone who speaks out against Islamist atrocities and recruitment of naive youth to ISIS constitutes ‘Islamophobia’. As if many Australians just woke up one morning and decided to become haters of Muslims. That’s just not so and it’s disingenuous to suggest so. If Muslims are uncomfortable with Australians’ current attitude towards their religion it’s because their co-religionists have spoiled the brand.
I write as a non-racist atheist who cares little for any religion as such.
It is a mystery to me that so few pay heed to PNAC. The US neo con plan from last century. The creation of an IS style entity is perfectly according to schedule. Our own govt is a part of moving this plan forward to its conclusion. Plan for a new American Century makes informative reading on the way to war with Iran.
It’s so sad that you have to write such a powerful letter to a narrow minded bigot who is so bereft of any leadership quality. For an ex seminarist he totally lacks christian values.
This PM believes that casting aspersions on some members of the Australian community will be a winning electoral platform.
Your appearance tonight on Q&A was great.
Best wishes Professor.
Thank you and bless you for your fearless work, Anne Aly.
I loved your stand on Q&A tonight; in particular your comments about your work on rehabilitation of extremists and Kraus’ comment about how the extremist right
contributed to most killings in the USA since Sept. 11.
I wish the Tony Abbotts and the Shock Jocks could also be rehabilitated.
We need to build trust and cohesion not fear and division.
Best,
Andris
Thank you so much for your sensitive, thoughtful and informed contribution to Q&A last night. In the course of finding out more about you, I discovered your letter to Tony Abbott, and like others before me, was saddened and shocked by what you have had to endure. because of your important work.
Like many, I was appalled when it became clear that Abbott would become PM and, also like many, though hardly surprised by his performance as the country’s leader, I continue to agonize at his overtly racist comments and continued politicization of security issues.
Thank you for your insightful, rational and helpful contribution to Q&A last night. Thank you also for your public support of Zaky Mallah as a real person seeking to move on in his life putting his past indiscretions behind him and recovering the dignity and value of his life without compromising his convictions. The contemptuous response to him on Q&A was not only abusive it was also unworthy of a supposedly open and democratic society such as we claim to be.
Dear Anne, thank you for continuing to speak out against extremism. Please don’t give up walking or riding to work. Take someone else along with you. It really would be sad for fear-mongering extremism to stop you doing the things that you enjoy. It is very sad indeed that we have a Prime Minister who sees know irony in calling for ‘heads to roll’ while supposedly condemning extremism. For the record, I am a Christian. I am not convinced that his words speak anything related to the message of Jesus. I am constantly surprised by the people who do not seem to recognise the shallow, thoughtless folly he speaks. Keep your head held high, your speech moderate, and live with courage. May grace and peace be always with you.
Judging by the continuing exodus of radicalised Australian Muslims heading over to take up arms for the ISIS degenerates, I can see that your efforts and research hasn’t been too successful so far
No that’s white Australias fault too because we upset them by having open discussions or opinions on Islam in Australia we must tippytoe on eggshells around Islamic issues in a democracy which for us is about making our rights fall behind their religious ideology.
Having watched Dr Aly on Q&A and again on The Verdict, I don’t deny she is a well educated woman who is doing her damndest to help these people who choose radicalization. Its got to be a hard job with little visible reward – at least with some clients. I don’t feel that being a Muslim means being a terrorist. That’s crazy talk. There’s some 1.3 billion Muslims around the world and the % of those who have actively chosen extremism is tiny in comparison. However. This is a religion that spawns a culture that promotes mistreatment of women, anti-Western ideology and extremism. Denying that Islam both the faith and culture is not the reason as to WHY these atrocities are occurring and as to where these terrorists are coming from, is blind. Its not to promote hatred of Islam – but we are, globally speaking, well beyond time due for an extremely honest discussion on Islam – and all other religions. Show me a religion and I’ll show you bigotry, hatred, divisiveness, judgment, violence, greed and exclusionary tactics. Teens turning to ISIS is a problem – but that’s not the only issue here. Enclavement, self imposed social segregation, violence, anti-Western rhetoric, racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, rioting, murder, rape – the list of horrors goes on. This is a religion and subsequent culture that has proven to be incompatible with Western ideology. We need to talk honestly about all of this without political or religious bias and without throwing around insults of Islamaphobia. We wouldn’t have to, if the people in our great nation who identify as Islamic, did what they were supposed to do – and be productive members of our society, supportive of our way of life and to raise their children to respect their heritage – and respect the fact that they are now living in Australia, in the West.
so tell me how do we have an open discussion on Islamic issues when we are shut down as Islamaphobes & every person that supports Islamic beliefs & how misunderstood they are is a Muslim therein lays the problem getting an unbias view the problem is the religion & the people who use it as a power this power is unbalanced & selfserving !!!