The Editor, The Age: The article, ‘No room for complacency on terrorism’ (The Age, 8 Sept 2011) is timely as it reveals that, of the $10 billion Australia has spent on national security reforms since 2001, less than 1% has been allocated to countering the ideology that fuels religious extremism at home.
More attention and publicity should be given to the grievances and views of those militants, some being home-grown, who are prepared to sacrifice their lives while engaging in acts of terrorism. In an ideological battle on issues such as freedom, justice and human rights – principles which should be at the forefront of a world-wide movement to end terrorism – we should not be unwilling to face our own inconsistencies.
Terrorist acts and the so called “war on terror” will never end while we fail to understand what impels a person to become a terrorist.
– Keith McEwan, CLA member, Castlemaine, Vic.