Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to join with my colleague the member for Wakefield in expressing my profound horror and sadness at the brutal killing of three young Indonesian girls in October 2005. The beheading of these innocent—and indeed that is what they were, innocent—young schoolgirls because of their Christian faith is barbaric. It is an act of unadulterated evil and a senseless consequence of misguided religious fanaticism.

When confronted with such a callous disregard for human life, we need to pause and reflect on the fact that, despite the existence of laws, conventions, bills of rights and constitutions around the world which are meant to protect fundamental human rights and religious freedoms, sadly, abuses and violations still occur. That is why this motion today is so important. To remain silent about atrocities taking place in our own neighbourhood or in our own backyard would be irresponsible on our part and a dereliction of our duty as a democratic society that says it upholds and preserves the rights of individuals, among which is the right of individuals to pursue whatever religious faith they wish to practise.

It is our duty to condemn the brutal killing of these young girls and, in doing so, we hope that we can play a small part in preventing such atrocities from recurring—although, sadly, that has not been the case since the beheading of the three girls in Indonesia in October last year.

I am speaking to this motion today to express not only my horror at these events but also my interest in nurturing Australia’s relationship with Indonesia and in promoting dialogue between the different faiths and cultures of our global community in order to promote peaceful coexistence amongst people.

I represent one of the largest Muslim minorities in Australia in this place and I have been very active in my electorate in promoting dialogue, including participating in our very successful local interfaith network. Since its establishment in early 2001, this network has had a remarkable response from our local religious communities, which have welcomed the opportunity to come together and seek to understand and learn from each other. Forums such as this prove that we can overcome our diversity and differences and live together peacefully and productively. But we can only do this if all groups and individuals involved are prepared to treat each other with equal value and respect and, indeed, we can only do this if the political and religious leaders of a community lead by example. The success of the dialogue and partnerships can be seen in my electorate of Calwell, which has remained calm and harmonious despite the racial and religious unrest found elsewhere, both internationally and even here at home in Australia.

I agree with the call of the member for Wakefield to the Indonesian government to investigate this matter and to bring the perpetrators to justice. I have no doubt that the government of Indonesia, which is a democracy based on the rule of law, will do exactly that. But beyond that I want to strongly support the call of the member for Wakefield for both Indonesia and Australia to remain, despite this, committed to peace and enhancing mutual understanding and cooperation between our people. The Labor opposition is firmly committed to this purpose and I am sure that every member in this parliament is also committed to this purpose.

We are all aware that Indonesia has experienced many racial and religious difficulties over the years. Indeed, Central Sulawesi and Poso, where the atrocities took place, were the scene of bitter fighting between Muslims and Christians between 1998 and 2002 in particular. In fact, over 1,000 people were killed before a government brokered truce managed to subdue the violence. Tension, however, remains high. In May last year, a bomb exploded in the nearby predominantly Christian town of Tentana, killing 22 people and injuring over 30. It is believed that the fighting, which took place four years ago, drew Islamic militants from all over Indonesia who have targeted Central Sulawesi as a region that can be turned into a foundation stone for an Islamic state.

Today we need to condemn militancy and religious fanaticism not only in Indonesia but also around the world. Fanaticism is one of the root causes of hatred and violence. Its tragic legacy can be seen around the world. I need only refer to the bombings in New York, Bali, London, Baghdad and Madrid, to name but a few. It is important to say to those who commit violence in the name of religion, whether it be Christianity or Islam, that their actions are totally inconsistent with the teachings of their respective religious doctrines. Both Islam and Christianity condemn violence and cruelty and uphold the sanctity and dignity of human life. It is important that we condemn all forms of fanaticism, in particular religious fanaticism, because they impose a significant threat to our world community. It is important that we take collective responsibility to ameliorate the circumstances and factors that create tensions and drive fanaticism. There is goodwill in Indonesia towards Australia as there is goodwill in Australia towards Indonesia and we must protect and build on this goodwill.

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