Young Somali fighters return to live in Australia

as posted here

This transcript corresponds with the Radio National broadcast. It will be replaced with the transcript for the local radio broadcast at 10am.


MATT BROWN: When the Federal Government added the Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab to its list of banned terrorist organisations last month, it cited a string of bombings in east Africa and alleged links to Al Qaeda.

Osama bin Laden has even called on Muslims from around the world to join al-Shabaab's fight against Somalia's western-backed government.

HERSE HILOLE: Al-Shabaab is well-known terrorist organisation, anyone who joins them can't get out from them and whoever tries to get out from them will be killed.

MATT BROWN: Somali-born Islamic scholar Herse Hilole has been monitoring perceptions of al-Shabaab in the Australian Somali community.

Despite the group's ruthlessness he says he's spoken to the parents of young men who've gone to fight in Somalia, and who've come home to live in Australia.

HERSE HILOLE: Some of the parents told me that some young people came back from Somalia.

MATT BROWN: Dr Hilole says the parents don't know what to do about their ongoing concerns about their own offspring.

HERSE HILOLE: Some of them are worried because they think if the government knows this they will be persecuted maybe, and some others think well, they may also still be associated with these extremist groups.

MATT BROWN: So even their parents aren't sure?

HERSE HILOLE: Yes, even their parents aren't sure the future of these young people.

MATT BROWN: Herse Hilole first raised the alarm about the radicalisation of young Somali Australians back in 2007 when he was head of the Somali Community Council of Australia.

HERSE HILOLE: Because these young people dropped from the school, they are not working, so these religious people, or religious teachers encourage them to go to war, rather than spending their time here.

MATT BROWN: There are even suspicions these preachers are actually facilitators who smooth the path to jihad.

HERSE HILOLE: Sometimes they encourage them and provide them money and some other facilities that helps them to travel from here and there and so on.

MATT BROWN: The claims against the alleged Melbourne terror cell are yet to be tested in court, but the episode has focussed attention on broader concern in the Somali community that a small number of young men, brought up in families fractured by conflict, have lost their way.

HERSE HILOLE: They are worried about their sons because these young people are free now. Parents, especially mothers do not have any control on them. Australian law provides freedom these young people.

MATT BROWN: Federal Police agents have had background contacts with the community and ASIO has a close eye on several mosques.

But the Government didn't comment about concerns that young men who may still be allied to al-Shabaab have returned from Somalia to Australia.

Herse Hilole says not enough has been done to check the preachers spreading radical messages in their community.

HERSE HILOLE: The number of families that I talked to still believe that the issue is going on, nothing is done until now and still the young people are at risk.

as posted here