Australian Muslim leaders call out ‘questionable law enforcement tactics’ that led to arrest of minors

Representatives of the Australian Muslim community have called out what they called “questionable law enforcement tactics” after seven minors were arrested and six of them charged with counter-terrorism-related offences this week.

Three major bodies, the Australian National Imams Council, the Alliance of Australian Muslims and the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network, have also demanded the government revise Australia’scounter-terrorism laws, saying they “target specific communities”.

The NSW joint counter-terrorism team executed 13 search warrants on Wednesday that resulted in the arrest of seven teenagers described as “associates” of a 16-year-old who allegedly stabbed a bishop at a church in Wakeley last week.

Five of the teenagers were charged on Thursday with terrorism offences including possessing or controlling violent extremist material. A 15-year-old boy in police custody was charged on Friday with conspiring to engage in any act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act.

The seventh teenager has been released.

Lawyer and adviser to the Australian National Imam’s Council, Ramia Abdo-Sultan, said the Muslim leaders demanded that government and law enforcement agencies commit to an immediate and thorough inquiry into the processes leading up to the raids, ensuring transparency and accountability.

“There must be a commitment to meaningful engagement regarding this process with the community and to avoid sensationalism that can cause undue panic and a breakdown in social cohesion,” she said.

She said the Muslim community was outraged and had been isolated by the incidents of the past week, and called for a revision of Australia’s counter-terrorism laws to eliminate the classification of “religiously motivated” terrorism.

“It is imperative that our legal frameworks reflect the complexity of these acts and avoid simplistic attributions that target specific communities,” Abdo-Sultan said.

“The presumption that terrorism is inherently tied to religion is not only inaccurate but harmful.”

Speaking at a press conference in Greenacre on Friday, Abdo-Sultan was flanked by leaders of the Muslim community, including the grand mufti of Australia, Ibrahim Abu Mohamad and the president of the Australian National Imams Council, sheikh Shady Alsuleiman.

The Muslim organisations said they were not consulted before the raids, and questioned the process that led to the arrest and charging of the teenagers, including providing “advanced media notifications” of the raids.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Australian federal police deputy commissioner Krissy Barrett said community liaison teams had held “discussions” with faith communities.

At that same conference, NSW police deputy commissioner David Hudson said police were “in the process of engaging with our local community leaders to ensure calm across those suburbs in south-western Sydney”.

A spokesperson for the NSW police refused to answer any questions on who was consulted on the raids or on law enforcement tactics.

“The priority of the NSW Police Force is the safety and security of the community. When an incident occurs, police investigate the criminal activity and prosecute those responsible. Police do not target an individual based on their gender, sexuality, ethnicity or religion,” they said.

The Guardian has also sought comment from the AFP.

In a separate statement released earlier this week, the Islamic Council of New South Wales echoed similar sentiments, calling for the NSW government and law enforcement bodies to clarify how they “interpret and implement anti-terror legislation”.

They said the community was concerned they were being unfairly targeted by the laws, saying the raids and arrests made in the past two weeks reinforced the idea that the terrorism laws only applied to Muslims.

“Many in the Muslim community have expressed their concern that if you are an Australian Muslim, even with a formal mental health diagnosis, you will be subjected to a different application of the law compared to other Australians.”

“It appears our political leaders and law enforcement authorities interpret and apply the law differently when dealing with Australian Muslims,” they wrote.

The council called for an “open and independent inquiry” into the “conscious and unconscious bias issues within Australia’s law enforcement agencies enforcing anti-terror legislation and how their treatment of Australian Muslims is impacting on social cohesion”.

“As Australians, we all need to do better to support those most vulnerable, who the system has failed for one reason or another.”