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With Israel-Iran tensions rising, and the ever-growing threat of Hamas, the recent stabbing of Sydney Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel is beginning to highlight a very serious problem arising for Australians.

On Monday, 14 April, Bishop Mar Mari, an Assyrian leader from the Good Shepherd Church in Sydney, was repeatedly and violently stabbed by a young activist. The incident was recorded on the bishop’s livestream, where shouts of his horrified congregation can be heard, followed by the crowd rushing forward to defend him and disarm the attacker.

The stabbing, according to footage, appeared to be intentionally lethal. Though the blade caused serious injuries, miraculously, they were not life-threatening. After the attack, the bishop forgave his attacker, protected him, and prayed over him. He has now lost sight in his right eye.

The police investigation of this serious assault and the ensuing violence of a 2,000-strong mob outside the church has led to the arrest of teenagers involved in a terrorist cell. An Assyrian in the community was also reportedly arrested. Assyrians have a history of genocidal persecution suffered at the hands of jihadists.

750,000 Assyrians were among over three million Christians killed during the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Islamic Ottoman Turks during World War I, for which they have never been held to account. Assyrians have also recently been driven out of their ancestral lands in Northern Iraq, which they had occupied for 7,000 years. They are understandably opposed to Islamic aggression, and rightly so – their leaders are being stabbed in countries where the government is failing to crack down properly on perpetrators of radical ideology.

Anti-Semitic protests in Australia and throughout the Western nations are being allowed to occur with apparent impunity, even though they incite violence, promote the annihilation of the sovereign state of Israel, and the genocide of her people.

Further Violence

Shortly after Mari’s stabbing, a radicalised Caucasian youth knifed a man in front of Bunnings in Willetton, Western Australia. The police shot him dead. Immediately before the stabbing, the police received a call from a boy stating the following:

“Brothers, please forgive me for any time I have wronged you, I am going in the path of jihad tonight for the sake of Allah Azzawajal, I am a soldier of the mujahideen of al-Qaeda and take responsibility for the actions that will in sha Allah ta’ala take place tonight [sic].”

The incidents have not only rattled the church, but non-Christians have been awakened to the ongoing threat of terrorism beginning to creep into the nation. The news made headlines in America and Europe, where terrorism is heavily condemned by several conservative activists.

Terrorism, unfortunately, is set to get worse, now that Iran’s president and several key officials of the Islamic regime have been declared dead in a freak helicopter accident. Although the deaths are considered to be a miraculous and favourable event by the Israeli side of the conflict, they will likely render jihadists more vengeful against the opposition as the state further descends into chaotic leadership. Palestinians around the world are beginning to get noticeably angry, and Mari’s stabbing highlights what happens when this anger is not adequately dealt with.

Social Media Tussles

The harrowing footage of the stabbing has since faced censorship on social media through efforts made by Australia’s own eSafety Commissioner. Elon Musk is paying the price of over $700,000 of fines, for every day his conservative commentary on the stabbing remains accessible on the X platform.

Mari has filed an affidavit indicating his support for Elon’s circulation of the footage, emphasising his right to free speech. Instead of impelling stabbed bishops into filing legal documents as they recover from terrorist incidents, perhaps the eSafety commissioner should, instead, engage her efforts in stopping the radicalisation of youth occurring online in the first place. That way, America’s Elon Musk would not have to wake up our own nation to the threat of terrorism beginning to increase here.

Instead of censoring those trying to warn the world of radical Islam, perhaps she should focus her energy on people who believe in the “right” to kill non-Islamic people.

The nation is left wondering how these terrorist incidents are being allowed to occur. Why and how, are people who are far from the Middle East being radicalised?

Who Are We Letting In?

Poor migration vetting is an important factor. Under the Labor government, immigration intake has skyrocketed, with over 700,000 migrants being brought in, in one year alone, marking the single biggest intake ever to have occurred annually, since the nation’s inception. Several people are simply not being vetted correctly by the Australian government if they failed to flag issues with people who are driven by the Qur’an or are radicalising vulnerable youth.

Australia is all for well-strategised immigration schemes. However, there needs to be thorough vetting and infrastructure readily available to house new migrants, otherwise an immigration scheme of historical proportions can be counterproductive to its goal of strengthening this nation and preserving it as a safe refuge from conflict and persecution.

Wanting a country that retains political, cultural and social stability should not be deemed “Islamophobia” – a term traced to the Muslim Brotherhood to denigrate those who have been warning of the likelihood of terror incidents. Immigration policies should be designed with insight into the strategies of  “dawa” – spreading Islam through immigration.

With foresight, Australia’s humanitarian aspirations can be fulfilled, while preserving our national interests by limiting the establishment of “parallel societies”.

A deeper look into the religious affiliations of migrants should occur before Australia opens the floodgates to worldviews it has no deep understanding of.

Inherent Animosity

Verses in the Qur’an which mandate violence are incompatible with the value of human life on which this nation was founded. Sura 3:151 states, “We will cast terror into the hearts of the disbelievers for associating ‘false gods’ with Allah…” Sura 9:5 states: “But once the Sacred Months have passed, kill the polytheists who violated their treaties wherever you find them, capture them, besiege them, and lie in wait for them on every way.”

Sura 4:89, 5:33, 2:191, 8:39, and 47:4 are similarly problematic provisions that advocate terrorising, killing, slaying or maiming “disbelievers”. The Immigration Department may not realise what is practised by Islamists, some of whom are threatening Australian citizens, especially Jews and Christians.

A spokeswoman for the Muslim community has complained that police do not consult them before making arrests of those suspected of terrorist involvement. She has publicly called for a revision of Australian terrorism laws to remove the classification of “Religiously Motivated Terrorism”.

Yet there is overwhelming historical evidence that jihadist terrorism has brought death, destruction and conquest to many lands throughout the last fourteen hundred years. Any endeavour to bring Australian law enforcement under Islamic authority must be strongly resisted to ensure the unity and stability of our nation.

Australians have a right to feel safe in their own country. The Constitution contains provisions that implore legislating bodies to advocate for the “peace and order and good governance” of society. It’s apparent in section 51. So how does a government claiming to follow the precepts of the Constitution fail to crack down properly on terrorism?

They appear to be destroying the prospect of peace by opening wide the doors to radicalised Islam or allowing it to proliferate without adequate education programs to help society understand the violent frameworks that underpin some worldviews, codes of conduct, attitudes and behaviours.

Hamas supporters are on the rise in Australia. According to i24News, seventy per cent of Palestinians support Hamas. With the government calling for aid to Palestine, it appears that the “Samaritan” mindset of many officials is frankly naïve and may be endangering peace and security in our own country.

Many wish to bring in Middle Eastern refugees. However, this welcome is best directed towards aiding those most in need of refuge. Christians in the Middle East are primary targets of radical terrorism. They face genocide, torture, brutal rape, kidnapping, loss of land and the erasure of ancient cultural heritage. Bringing them to Australia seems far more logical as they share our values, uphold our laws, respect our people and present no threat to our security.

Their Palestinian counterparts are not as persecuted – in fact, many are recruited into Hamas militant groups. Palestinians who support terrorism are beginning to indoctrinate people here with antisemitic rhetoric. To curb terrorism and preserve our freedom, it is essential to provide accurate information based on primary sources of all religious and secular ideologies that influence public policy.

A spokesperson of Christian Faith and Freedom, an NGO which advocates on behalf of Christians who face persecution in many parts of the world, has provided the following statement:

“The love and forgiveness Mar Mari Emmanuel extended to his attacker reflects compassion, grace, and the value Christianity places on every human life. His public appeal to safeguard freedom of speech deserves to be respected, for preserving Australia’s heritage of freedom requires intellectual integrity to pursue the truth and the moral courage to uphold it.”

Throughout history, Christians have faced greater persecution than any other religious group. This is apparent in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. According to Open Doors, one in seven Christians worldwide are persecuted for their faith. That amounts to three hundred and sixty million Christians currently facing persecution.

And Mar Mari, an Australian citizen, has now been added to that ever-growing list.