Nothing to See Here By Michael Ferguson
Well, 23 percent of Muslims is nothing to worry about, is it? So, why is this even being discussed? You tell me, while I make a club sandwich.
“Most Muslim Australians do not subscribe to extremist Islamist beliefs. However, according to a recent nationwide survey, significant minorities did indicate support for some key ideological features of Islamism.
According to the survey, which was completed by 1,034 Muslim Australian citizens and permanent residents in late 2019, 23% of respondents agreed that establishing a caliphate (a form of Islamic government) is a religious obligation.
Nearly one in five respondents (19%) said they defined jihad as an “offensive” concept rather than something that is done only in self defence, while 10% agreed that countries with sharia law are more just and fair than Australia.
The findings are part of recent research I conducted with colleagues at Griffith University. The study is one of the most comprehensive attempts to measure Islamist extremism within a population, and is the largest of its kind to deeply examine Islamist extremism in Australia.
We developed the anonymous survey in consultation with Muslim Australians, including religious scholars, community leaders and representatives of various Muslim organisations. It was distributed online with support from Muslim community organisations, groups and individuals, who shared the link with their networks.”
We best eat our sandwiches in silence.
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