A Declared War !

Telcos and the media have joined the Civil Liberties people in opposing the third tranche of "Terror Laws "enacted by the government.   These require the nations Telcos to retain traffic records of phone numbers called and email connections made and store them for a period of two years.  It also imposes restrictions on reporting that some journalists claim is an assault on our cherished "Freedom of the Press ".

It doesn't seem to occur to many of these people that we are now engaged in a declared war !  A mixed tribe of radicalized people have spun off from Sunni Islam and taken the field against the western nations under a variety of names.  Al Qaeda.  Islamic State.  There are dozens of sub branches, but they all have a similar aim.  To impose a world caliphate which imposes their preferred form of Islam - with Sharia law - on all and everyone.  No other religion will be tolerated and the option will be to convert - or die.

In Syria and Iraq this movement has morphed into a regular army equipped with modern weapons that is fast conquering great swathes of territory.   Try telling the citizens of conquered lands that this is simply an " insurgency " and not a war !   When this army sweeps into a village it is common  for the captured men to be summarily shot and the women and children annexed as sexual pawns by the "freedom fighters "- or sold off into slavery.

Literally millions have fled over neighbouring borders and the world now has a refugee problem that is straining our ability to cope.  In Africa, this same movement is challenging governments and building a formidable presence.  This is a world wide jihad and it's very success is creating support wherever there is a Sunni element who claim to be oppressed - and it's leaders have adopted a call for it's adherents to strike the "infidels "amongst which they are living.

That is a call for civil war in Australia.  We have about half a million Muslim people living in this country and most are good citizens who obey our laws and are content with the Australian way of life, but amongst them are a formidable group who swear allegiance to the black flag of militant Islam and are open and vocal in their call to destroy the Australian state.

Unless we take strong action and bring this movement under control we face the prospect of armed rebellion in our streets and the sort of civil war that is now common in many other countries.  Car bombings bringing death and destruction in public areas.   Suicide bombers making a visit to a cafe or a coffee shop a daily hazard.  To the Jihadi - losing his or her life as a "Martyr " brings the promise of Paradise. !

We need the tools to let our security people do their job, and the means to track communications made when investigating a suspected terrorist can deliver big dividends - and the claim that this is an attack on our civil liberties is stretching credibility.  It simply delivers the information of who called who - or who exchanged emails, not whatever took place during those contacts.  At the same time, indiscriminate media reporting can tip off terrorists that they are under surveillance.   This is similar to the measures in place during the second world war.

Our home based terrorists are using the freedoms we enjoy to prosper their civil war.  They openly conduct prayer halls and book shops that preach the message of jihad and they have mastered the dark arts of radically converting the young to their cause.  Their leaders overseas have called for them to commence random attacks and beheadings of citizens on Australian streets.  This civil war is fast heading into an operational stage.

Perhaps it will take an actual bomb outrage and dead bodies on an Australian street to convince the Australian public that we are now engaged in a war to impose the will of others on our country !