Aijac rejects comments by Prof Israeli

MELBOURNE - The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) today rejected comments made by visiting Israeli Professor Raphael Israeli in today's Australian Jewish News and Fairfax newspapers which appear to single out the growth of Muslim minorities as inherently dangerous.

AIJAC Executive Director Dr. Colin Rubenstein stated, "AIJAC strongly rejects and condemns the policy implications Professor Raphael Israeli has drawn in published comments attributed to him.

"I am pleased to see that Professor Israeli has clarified that, contrary to the Jewish News report, he was not calling for limits or quotas on Muslim immigration to Australia. AIJAC will always be committed to a non-discriminatory immigration policy, and is strongly opposed to quotas, targets, or restrictions on immigration based on either religion or ethnicity, including any such policies directed against Muslims."

Dr. Rubenstein continued, "AIJAC is very concerned by Professor Israeli's implication that the Muslim community as a whole is a threat or danger, and strongly rejects any such claim. Islamist extremism is a genuine and serious global problem, but it is completely wrong to single out all Muslims for suspicion or negatively stereotype the Muslim community as a whole in this way.

"AIJAC also disagrees with his implication in the Jewish News that multiculturalism is a contributing factor to Islamist extremism in Australia. AIJAC believes that a properly implemented policy of Australian multiculturalism, which incorporates both rights and the responsibility to uphold the core values of Australian society, remains an important part of the strategy to counter problems related to political extremism, and is not their cause."

Dr. Rubenstein concluded, "I have spoken to Professor Israeli and told him frankly that his comments are both unacceptable and unhelpful, and AIJAC cannot be associated with them and therefore will not be co-hosting any of his further appearances in Australia."

For additional information, contact
Dr. Colin Rubenstein on (03)-9681-6660, or Jeremy Jones on 0411-536-436.