To [not] be a Muslim activist

Published in Djed Press, 9th November, 2017

It’s 2017 and even more Terror Law reforms are being proposed by Government, with bipartisan support from both major parties. Current laws already breach human rights.

I am a Muslim who is concerned about the repercussions of these laws on my community and my family, yet I am still waiting to see these fears communicated and represented in public political debate.

There have been no press releases, no protests, no lobbying of MPs to change their vote on passing these laws – that we know of – from Muslim community leaders, and this quietness makes me even more apprehensive than the harms of these laws on our community. The Greens have raised concerns about changes which could see ten-year-olds held without charge, but we can’t expect that these calls be centring the voices of Muslims unless we are at the forefront raising these concerns ourselves.