Sada-e-Watan
Sydney ™
sadaewatan@gmail.com
NSW Greens MPs call on political leaders to engage Muslims and wider community to address root causes that lead to violence
NSW Greens MPs Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC and Senator Lee Rhiannon have called
on the NSW Government and Australian government to engage widely and address
root causes that lead to violence in response to the recent tragic shooting at
Parramatta.
Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC, Greens NSW spokesperson for
Multiculturalism and the sole Muslim woman MP in NSW, said:
“If our aim
is to build a harmonious, accepting and peaceful society, we must investigate
and address root causes that lead young people down this dangerous path to
violence, and not implement just band-aid solutions.
“What happened in
Parramatta was a tragic and shocking crime, and the police must complete a full
investigation. But we cannot allow the event to facilitate further isolation of
Muslim Australians and divide our society.
“It’s time to have a different
conversation – one that explores deeper structural issues of injustice and
disadvantage. This conversation must engage with the diverse Muslim community,
as well as the whole community, especially young people,” Dr Faruqi
said.
Senator Lee Rhiannon, Australian Greens Senator for NSW,
said:
“Migrants, young people, and Western Sydney residents are all
overrepresented in unemployment statistics. When you combine those factors, you
have a generation of young people who have grown up in a society where regular
jobs were not available, nor where their families’ community contributions were
valued.
“In the aftermath of the shooting at Parramatta, Prime Minister
Turnbull committed to defending multicultural Australia and called for calm and
mutual respect. Now he must put these words into practice and look at the
economic and social factors that lead to acts of violence.
“Research on
the 2011 Census data reveals that Muslim Australians continue to experience
disadvantage because of their socioeconomic position.
“Further alienating
the Muslim community, especially youth, is definitely not the solution to what
is being called ‘radicalisation’. For any response to be meaningful, young
Muslims need to be engaged right from the start in a useful way and their
concerns and grievances given priority,” Senator Rhiannon said.
