Anti-Terror Laws and the Muslim Community: Where Does Terror End and Security Begin‪?‬

1. I must confess that I have lost track of how many pieces of anti-terror legislation have been introduced since September 11. I used to know this number. I know that this time last year the number sat at 18, but I can't be sure anymore. At a recent rally I heard someone say it was 25 by their count, yet still others said it was as high as 33. When the latest piece, the Anti-Terrorism Act (No. 2) 2005 passed Parliament in December 2005, the Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said, "These new counter-terrorism laws place Australia in a strong position to prevent new and emerging threats and to stop terrorists carrying out their intended acts" , and that "this is a further demonstration of the Government's commitment to the national security of Australia" (Ruddock, 2005: 230/2005). No doubt these laws are intended to end terror, and to ensure security. But how effective are they in ending terror, and in introducing security? The Government has also said that the laws are not targeted at Muslims. The Prime Minister John Howard said, "There is nothing in our laws, nor will there be anything in our laws, that targets an individual group be it Islamic or otherwise" (The Age , 9 November 2005). That is true. There is nothing in the laws that says, "Police have the power to search a person if they have facial hair or if they affix materials to their head." But the laws are drafted so broadly that they are really open to interpretation; and the removal of safeguards leaves much room for the laws to be applied in a discriminatory way. Just how effective are they in ending terror and in ensuring security, when members of the community are feeling fearful, nervous, targeted, when the community feels under siege? So where exactly does terror end and where exactly does security begin? 2. Since the unfathomable horror of September 11, I have witnessed a community being dragged through the maze of media, politics and fear. It has had to adapt very rapidly to suit these changing demands. When the first set of anti-terror legislation was introduced in 2002, many people already suspected that they would have potentially adverse effects on Muslim communities in Australia. These concerns were expressed to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee considering these laws by a range of different groups, including the Australian Arabic Council, the Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria, the Supreme Islamic Council of NSW, the Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic) and the Victorian Council of Social Service. However, the laws went through, and things went on. Scarves were still being pulled off regularly on the streets, bearded men were viewed with suspicion, but by and large, people got on with their lives.