How Australians Won Their Freedom 1788–1860

By David Kemp

This is the first in David Kemp’s landmark five-volume history of Australian liberalism. It explains how Australia became a field experiment for the most advanced policies of the 18th and 19th centuries - trial by jury, universal education, penal reform, democracy and freedom of the press, religion and enterprise - which in turn laid the foundation for what is now one of the freest, most egalitarian and prosperous nations on Earth.

This is essential reading for anybody who admires the Australian qualities of independence, mateship and a fair go.

‘A truly great work of scholarship.’ - John Nethercote

‘It is both enlightening and exhilarating to see so many liberal thinkerslinked with Australia’s origins and development - small wonder Australia has been so successful as a nation.’ - Denis White

‘A masterful and insightful narrative.’ - David Furse-Roberts

The Land of Dreams:

Author David Kemp is a professor of politics, historian and former federal Cabinet minister.

‘Engaging and provocative.’ - Glyn Davis

How Australians Won Their Freedom 1788–1860

By David Kemp

This is the first in David Kemp’s landmark five-volume history of Australian liberalism. It explains how Australia became a field experiment for the most advanced policies of the 18th and 19th centuries - trial by jury, universal education, penal reform, democracy and freedom of the press, religion and enterprise - which in turn laid the foundation for what is now one of the freest, most egalitarian and prosperous nations on Earth.

This is essential reading for anybody who admires the Australian qualities of independence, mateship and a fair go.

‘A truly great work of scholarship.’ - John Nethercote

‘It is both enlightening and exhilarating to see so many liberal thinkerslinked with Australia’s origins and development - small wonder Australia has been so successful as a nation.’ - Denis White

‘A masterful and insightful narrative.’ - David Furse-Roberts

The Land of Dreams:

Author David Kemp is a professor of politics, historian and former federal Cabinet minister.

‘Engaging and provocative.’ - Glyn Davis

Casualties of an Age ofCharacter AssassinationKevin Myers, Peter MurphyMelbourne’s Petite, Shy, Honours-Student TerroristDaniel Pipes The Theatre Critic Who Survived the Paris MassacreMichael ConnorSuicide of the West versus National AwakeningDavid Martin JonesCivic Virtues and the Future of the Centre-RightTony AbbottThe Elite Charade of Reforming the EliteSalvatore Babones

On Winston Churchill Adrian WilliamsOn my poetry Timoshenko AslanidesOn the Merchant of Venice Nicholas Hasluck On beauty Derek Turner

Poetry I Knute Skinner, Suzanne Edgar, Joe Dolce, John Greening, Nana Ollerenshaw, John Whitworth, Andrew Lansdown

Reviews I Daryl McCann, Rafe Champion, Ben BassettFiction I Frank Murphy, Gary Furnell

$8.90 A ustralia I D e ce m be r 2018

Letters I Environment I Science I Literature I Economics I Religion I MediaTheatre I Philosophy I film I Society I History I Politics I Education I Health

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Apetite, pretty twenty-four-year-oldBangladeshi named Momena ShomaarrivedinMelbourneonFebruary1,2018,

to study linguistics on an excellence scholarshipat La Trobe University. Describing herself as “anintrovertandvery shy innature”, she spokeofanambitiontobecomeauniversityinstructor.Comingfromanaffluent and secularDhaka familywhichconsidered her “brilliant”, Momena had been anA student at some of the capital’s elite English-language educational institutions: Loreto School,Mastermind School and North South University(NSU).ShegraduatedfromNSUwithanhonoursdegreeinEnglishlanguageandliteraturein2016,thenenrolledforamaster’sdegreeatNSUbeforeswitchingtoLaTrobe.

Like many newly-arrived foreign students,Momena turned to the Australian HomestayNetwork (AHN), “Australia’s largest and leadinghomestayprovider”,tofindafamilywithwhichtoboard.ShequicklysettledinahomeinBundoora,neartheuniversity.

What could be more innocent? Anyone wor-rying about her being dangerous because of herMuslim faithwouldhavebeencalledout for rac-ism, chauvinism, xenophobia, bigotry and (thatmostdreadfulofaccusations)“Islamophobia”.Thatsheworeaburka(theblackfull-bodyIslamiccov-ering)onlymadesuchsuspicionsthemoreheinous.

But,asMomenatookatwenty-five-centimetrekitchen knife to her Bundoora room and repeat-edly stabbed her bed, she signalled the danger tocome. In the words of a magistrate, “She did thepractice runon themattresswith thefirst familythathostedherandtheyfeltintimidatedenoughtogoto[AHN],saying,‘We’rescared,wedon’twanthertocontinuelivingwithus’.”Outshewent,fac-inghomelessness.

Respondingtoherurgentneedforaccommoda-tion, theSingaravelu family—husbandandnight-shiftnurseRoger(fifty-six),wifeMaha(forty-five)and daughter Shayla (five)—welcomed Momena

into their four-bedroom house in the suburb ofMill Park on February 7 for a few days until shefoundmorepermanent lodgings.Maha explainedher motive in accepting Momena: “I felt for her,beinginaforeigncountry.Iputmyselfinhershoesandherparents’shoes.”

Themselves immigrants from Malaysia, theSingaravelus had come to Australia thirty yearsago,Rogerexplained,“toseekopportunity”.Theyhad hosted foreign students since 2014 in a spiritofmulticulturalism,ofgivingback,andof teach-ingtolerancetotheirdaughter.Aneighbour,NeilFitzroy, described the Singaravelus as engagingandopen,takinginforeignstudentstogivethem“anAustralianexperience”.

Matters started well enough with Momena,Maharecalls:“Shewasverypleasanttodealwith.Sheevenofferedtobabysitourdaughterifweeverwent out.” Roger concurs: “Shoma gave a goodimpression right up before the attack.” He foundher“wellmannered”andnotedthatshespokebet-terEnglishthanhedid.

Growing up in Malaysia, a Muslim-majoritycountry,Rogertellsme,heandMaha“understandthe norms that are embraced by Muslims”. ButAHNhadnottoldthefamilythatMomenaworeaburka,andherappearance,Rogerrecounts,“gaveusashockwhenshefirstarrivedatourdoorstep”.That she “was constantly lifting theburkaduringmeal times” toget food intohermouthmade thefamilyfeel“uncomfortablehavingmealstogether”.MuchlessdidAHNtellthecoupleaboutMomenahavingbeenthrownoutofherprevioushomestayduetoherpracticeatstabbing.Andnooneknewshe had stolen the knife from the first homestayhost.

On February 9, after two days with theSingaravelus, Momena struck. At 4.25 p.m.,

withMahaoutofthehouseandRogernappingonamattressintheloungewithhischildinhisarms,Momena,wearingherburka,usedherstolenknife

da niEl pipEs

Melbourne’s Petite, Shy, Honours-Student Terrorist

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Melbourne’s Petite, Shy, Honours-Student Terrorist

to stab her host in the neck. But the under-five-foot woman lacked the strength to cut the muchlargerRoger’s jugularvein,getting theknifeonlysuperficially into his neck—enough to make himbleed “like a fountain”butnot enough todohimfataldamage.

In his words: “I thought I was dreaming as Ifeltasharppainonmyneck.Iwokeupandstartedscreaming.” He tried to pull the knife out asMomenaleanedoverhimandpusheditin,yellingallthewhile,“AllahuAkbar!”Henotedthat“hereyesweresointense”.Rogercontinues:

Ireactivelygrabbedontotheknifeandfought[her]off…Iwaspleadingwithherforagoodfour,fourandahalfminutesandsaid,“Pleaseletgo[oftheknife],Shoma.Pleaseletgo.Wewilltalk.”Allshe[kept]sayingwas“AllahuAkbar,AllahuAkbar,”whilemydaughterwasscreaminghere,andItoldmydaughter,“Run,Shayla,run.”

Finally, Roger prevailed and pulled the bladeout.Afterthat,hesays:

Imanagedtograbholdofmyfive-year-olddaughteroutofthehouseandrangMustafaOsmanoskifrommymobile,andhecametomyaidimmediately.WhenImanagedtoopenthegaragedoor,theneighbouracrosstheroadcametohelpmetoo.

Mustafa,seventy-six,aretiredsecurityguardofMacedonian origins, and his wife Safia, watchedover a sullen and immobile Momena for twentyminutesassheawaitedarrest,slumpedagainstthewalloftheroomwhereherattackhadtakenplace.The neighbours recount her saying that “It was amissionandthatshehadtodowhatshehadtodo.”

Tothepolice,shecalmlyelaboratedthatshehadcome toAustralianot to studybut tokill “in thenameofGod”.Sheexpectedthataknifestabtotheneck“wouldbefatal”.Seeingherselfasafootsol-dierofIslamicState(ISIS),Momenahadplannedtheattack; indeed,before leavingDhaka,shehadtoldheryoungersisterAsmaulHusna,twenty-two,ofhermurderousplan.

Momenahadputherself ina jihadimoodthatmorningbywatchingagruesomefifty-five-minuteISIS video from 2014, Flames of War. The ABCparaphrasedhertestimony:

Watchingthevideosmadeherfeellikealoser,shesaid,becauseshethoughtshewouldn’tbeabletocommittheviolentjihadportrayedinthefilms.Shetoldpoliceshewascommanded

tokillbyIslamicState.“Ifeltobligated,anditwaslikeaburdenonme,”shesaid.Shesaidshefeltrelievedaftertheattackbecauseshehadtried.“InfrontofAllahIjustcantellhimthatItried,that’sit.”

Her motive? Momena acknowledged bearingno personal grudge against Roger (who had spo-kenbarelyfiftywordstoher)butattackedhimoutofasenseofdutyto“triggertheWest”:meaning,to spur non-Muslims to attack Muslims, possiblyleading to the chaos that brings on the End ofDays.Sheexplained:

Ihadtodoit...itcouldhavebeenanyone,it’snotspecificallyhim.Hejustseemedlikeaveryeasytargetsincehewassleeping,soyeah,andIhadtopushmyself.Iwouldn’tevenhurtarat.This,IjustfeltlikeifIdon’tdoitIwillbesinful,IwillbepunishedbyAllah.

Chargedwithattemptedmurderandonecountof engaging in an act of terrorism, Momena

proudlyanddefiantlypresentedherselfinthemag-istrate’s court in August, wearing a niqab, as anISISsoldier.Sherefusedtostandforthemagistrateortoenteraplea.

AttheVictorianSupremeCourtinSeptember,the judgecompelledhertotakeofftheniqabandshowherfacetoestablishheridentityasshemadeher plea. This time, Momena pleaded guilty toengaging intentionally in a terrorist act “with theintentionofadvancingapolitical,religiousorideo-logicalcause,namelyviolentjihad”.(Theattemptedmurderchargewasdropped.)

Her sentencing will take place in January; themaximum penalty is life in prison. An onlinepoll asked if she should be deported or incarcer-ated:afterrunningforseveralweeks,thevotewasoverwhelmingly (84 to 16 per cent) in favour ofdeportation.

Roger suffered cuts to his shoulder, severedtendons in his hand, and a ruptured vertebra inthe neck. He recovered after surgery for injuriesto his shoulder and neck. Testifying in April, hedescribed the attack’s “devastating effects” on hisfamily. Shayla was traumatised by what she wit-nessed: “She continues to experience nightmaresand flashbacks, and requires psychological treat-ment.Shestillseesbloodonthewallandasksmetocleanitoff,althoughthereisnothingthere.”

Rogersufferstoo:“IwasveryclosetodeathandI find building trust is not easy. I have become areclusenowandalways sensitive tomy surround-ings following the incident. People with burkas

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Melbourne’s Petite, Shy, Honours-Student Terrorist

tend to aggravate my condition.” He now suffersfrom post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Tocompoundtheseproblems,Rogerisgoingwithoutpay and may soon be fired from the hospital. Ashewrites:

Ihavenotbeenabletoreturnbacktoworkfollowingtheincidentandcurrentlyonleavewithoutpay.Thenatureofmyworkinvolvestreatingpsychiatricpatients.ThetraumathatIhavehadtoendurehasaffectedmetotheextentthatIfeelveryvulnerableinsuchasetting.IamstillhavingongoingtreatmentwithmypsychiatristforPTSDandhehascertifiedmeunfittoreturntowork.Workhasbeenplacingpressureonmyemploymentstatus.Iguesswhenonehaslimitationsuchasmine,employershavenopatiencetowaitforrecoverfromtrauma.IamcurrentlyonleavewithoutpayandatthevergeofbeingterminatedasIamnotabletoreturntoworkatthisstage.

ItisoutrageousthatMelbourneHealth,Roger’semployerandamajorteachinghospital,hastreatedhimsoshabbily.PublicandpoliticalpressureneedstobeexertedonMelbourneHealthtograntRogerthe time he needs to recover fully and return towork.

Insum,asRogerexplainedinarecentletter,allhisandMaha’shopes“havebeenshatteredbythisactofcruelty!Ourliveshavenotbeenthesameandwillneverreturntonormal.”

InAustralia,Momena’s assault appeared tobeacaseof “sudden jihad syndrome”, comingwith-

outwarningfromabuddinglinguisticscholar.ButsubsequentinvestigationsinBangladeshfoundthatmanywarningsignshadbeenmissedthroughbra-vuraincompetence.

By all accounts, Momena fitted into the nor-mal Muslim life of her elite family. Her father,MohammadMoniruzzaman,acharteredaccount-ant,isseniorvice-presidentandaboardmemberofJanata Insurance. Her uncle, Mohammed AbdulAziz, is dean of the Faculty of Science at theUniversityofDhaka.

ShewithdrewintoaworlddefinedbyIslamonlyin 2012,herfirst year atNSU.Nomoremusicormoviesforher;shedemandedherfamilygetridofitstelevisionsetandnaggedwomentocoverthem-selves. Paraphrasing an Australian police report,theABCfoundthatMomena“feltlikeaprisonerinherownhouse”,beingtheonlyfamilymembertohavebecomeaSalafiMuslim.“Shebeganfollow-ing online preachers, including notorious Yemeni

preacherAnwaral-Awlaki,andlookingatIslamicStatevideos.”

Thewomen’sprayerroomatNSU,aninstitutiondeeplyassociatedwithIslamism,becameacentralfocusofherlife.Forexample,jihadislinkedtothemurderofasecularbloggerattendedNSU,asdidthose who attacked a restaurant that left twenty-ninedeadandevenonewhoattemptedtoblowuptheFederalReserveBankinNewYork.

At the height of Islamic State’s notoriety in2014,MomenaappliedforastudentvisafortraveltoTurkey to takeupa scholarship fromAnkara’sAtilim University, but probably really intendingto join ISIS. However, the Turkish consulate inDhaka turned her down, as it did about half theBangladeshi student applicants. Momena mayalso have tried, unsuccessfully, to obtain visas forTunisiaandtheUnitedStates.

A Bangladeshi police report found thatMomena’ssisterAsmaulHusnaalsobecameradi-calisedaftertheirmother’sdeathfromdiabetesinJune2015;thesisterstooktowatchingAlQaedaandISISvideos together. “Bothsistersgot inspired todevote[themselves]tojihadandvowedtofightforestablishing an Islamic caliphate in Bangladesh.”They joined a faction of Jamaat-ul-MujahideenBangladesh (JMB), an ISIS-linked jihadi groupwithaviolentrecorddatingbackto2005(whenitannounced itselfwith 350explosions inonehour)andculminatingwiththeattack,mentionedabove,killingtwenty-nineinarestaurant.

MomenawasincontactwithmanyBangladeshijihadis,bothlocalandfightingforISISinSyria.ThelatterincludedA.T.M.TajuddinandGaziSohan.Sohan, also an ISIS recruiter until his arrest in2015,metNajibullahAnsari,aBangladeshimarineengineerandJMBmember,inanonlinechatroomandintroducedhimtoMomenain2014.Momenaand Najibullah hit it off and quickly planned tomarrybutdidnotdueto familyopposition.Soonafter, Najibullah announced in January 2015 (in aFacebookmessagetohisyoungerbrother) thathewas“goingtoIraqtojoinISIS”,thoughitappearsheactuallywenttoSyria.Najibullah’sfatherfiledareportwiththeChittagongpolicein2015,inform-ingthemofhisson’stravels.

Bangladeshi police also found evidence (onMomena’s smartphone and computer) pointing toan important jihadi connection in Australia: anunnamedfemalefriendfromanIslamicdiscussiongroup at NSU; the two them together communi-catedwithGaziSohan.ThefemalefriendmarriedaBangladeshiresidentinAustraliaandmovedthereaftergraduationin2016.Theystayedinsteadycon-tactonWhatsApp,incitingeachotherwithjihadivideos. The friend apparently persuaded Momena

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Melbourne’s Petite, Shy, Honours-Student Terrorist

to join her in Australia, leading to Momena’senrolling at La Trobe. The friend visited Dhakain December 2017, where the two rejoined theirold Islamic discussion group at NSU. The friendleft forAustraliaonJanuary20andMomenafol-lowedheronFebruary1.ItisnotcleariftheymetinAustralia.

Bangladesh’s Counterterrorism and Trans-national Crime unit (CTTC) believes it possi-ble that Momena knew other ISIS recruits: “Wehad detained many radicalised students in 2014.Momena maybe had contact with some of them.Weareinvestigatingthismatterclosely.”Thepolicedid find large numbers of WhatsApp and othercommunications with fellow Islamists, suggestingthatMomenawas integral to a jihadinetwork. Itisremarkablethatthesemanysignsshouldallhavebeenmissed.

Bangladeshi ineptitude reached new heightswhen, three days after Momena’s attack on

February 9, a Dhaka Metropolitan Police teamfrom the CTTC went to theShoma family home at the RoyalAroma Garden apartment build-ing to investigate. Moniruzzamanco-operated during the two-hourinquiry. But Momena’s sisterAsmaul Husna (also known asSumona), who also attended eliteEnglish-language schools, was“veryrough”inherattitude.Then,theCTTCreports:“whenthepoliceofficerswere leaving,Sumonasur-prisingly launched a knife attack,shouting Allahu Akbar. She alsosaid, ‘YouareKafirs[infidels].WemustestablishtheruleofIslaminthe country. We must do jihad ifnecessary’.”Apressaccountsayssheadded,“Iwillkill[BangladeshiPrimeMinister]SheikhHasina,I will kill [Syrian President Bashar] Assad. Theyare all infidels. One day everyone will join jihadandIslamwillruletheworld.”

Theinjuredpolicemanwastakentothehospi-talandquicklyreleased.TheCTTCsubsequentlyfound that, before departing for Melbourne,Momenahadorderedhersistertomurderapolice-manandinstructedherontheuseofaknife.Dueto her JMB membership, Asmaul Husna waschargedwithterrorism.Onewouldhaveexpectedacounter-terrorismteamtobea littlebetterpre-paredfortroublefromapotentialjihadi.

Withinthreedays, then, thetwosisters,bothinspired by Islamic motives, had stabbed twovictimsintwocountries.InthelightofMomena’s

eventualguiltyplea,thedenialonthepartofherfamilystandsout.Heruncleasked,“Howcanshebe involved in militancy after only eight days inAustralia?Wecannotpictureherholdingaknife.Sheisnotaggressiveorcruelperson.Nowayshecan be part of terrorism. We are Muslim, butwe are not terrorists or extremists.” He recentlyrefused to reply to my question whether, aftershe pleaded guilty, he still maintains Momena’sinnocence.

“Howthehelldidshegethere?”RogerrightlyaskedofMomenaShomaafter theassault.

Hercaseraisestroublingquestionsaboutthecom-petence of institutions tasked with keeping thepublic safe from petite, pretty, graduate studentjihadis.

WhyweretheBangladeshiauthoritiesoblivioustoMomenadespiteherextensivetiestothecoun-try’sjihadinetwork?

Why did North South University not opposethejihadicultureandnetworkithosts?

Why, after Najibullah Ansari’sfatheralertedtheChittagongpolicein 2015 to his son’s joining ISIS,weretheson’sassociates,includingMomena,notinvestigated?

WhydidtheAustralianauthor-itiesallowMomenaintothecoun-tryafterthegovernmentofTurkey(and perhaps those of Tunisia andtheUnitedStates)hadrejectedhervisaapplication?

Theintrusiveand“mostdreaded“AustralianForm80,requiredofallapplicantsforpermanentresidenceandsomefor temporaryresidence,asks, “Have you everbeen refuseda visa to any country?” and “Have

you … ever been associated with an organisationengagedinviolenceorengagedinactsofviolence(including … terrorism)?” What value have thesequestions?

Given Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh’sthirteen-year history of murderous activity, whydid Australian security authorities not list it as aterrorist group until June 2018, four months afterMomena’sattack?

Did fearsofbeingcalled“Islamophobic”causethe Australian Homestay Network not to informthe police or the Singaravelus about Momena’shavingstabbedherbed?

WhydidtheBangladeshipolicenottakeproperprotective steps when they questioned AsmaulHusna?

In these matters fai lure characterised

ThecaseofMomenaShomacrystallisesthe

needforAustraliaandotherWestern

countriestodevelopfairbutrigorousmechanismsto

excludeIslamistsfromtheircountries.

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Melbourne’s Petite, Shy, Honours-Student Terrorist

institutions ranging from universities andhomestaynetworkstolocalandcounter-terrorismpolice. Worse, my correspondence with theBangladeshi government suggests it has learnednothingfromthisfiasco.

The case of Momena Shoma crystallises theneedforAustraliaandotherWesterncountriestodevelop fair but rigorous mechanisms to excludeIslamistsfromtheircountries.Note:Islamists,notMuslims. Yes, distinguishing the one from theotherisachallenge,but,givenadequatetime,skillandfunds,itcanbedone.AnumberofAustralianpoliticians have endorsed this approach, includ-ingTonyAbbott,BobCarr,PeterCostello,ScottMorrison,BrendanNelsonandAlbySchultz.Carrwasnotablyspecific:

Idon’tthink[Islamists]shouldbeletin…Ifsomeonehasarecordofsayingeverythingyourcountrystandsforiswrong—womenshouldhavenorights;homosexualsshouldbehunteddownandpersecuted;sharialawshouldbeappliedfromgotowhoa—Idon’tthinktheyhavearolehere.Idon’tthinktheycanbeintegratedhere.

As the petite honours student in linguisticsdemonstrated, even the most innocuous-lookingMuslimcangojihadito“triggertheWest”.

DanielPipes(DanielPipes.org,@DanielPipes)isthepresidentoftheMiddleEastForum(www.meforum.org),whichisbasedinPhiladelphia.

Broad Arrow Café

BroadArrowCaféwasbusythatday,thetableswerearrangedtightlytoheel—twominutesofterribleshadowplay.

AColtAR-15Carbineatbay,MartinBryantwentinandateameal.BroadArrowCaféwasbusythatday.

That’snotfunny,someoneheardsomeonesay,notrealisingtheshotsweretooreal,twominutesofterribleshadowplay.

Areenactment,orPortArthurplay?Customerstrapped,withnoplacetoconceal,BroadArrowCaféwasbusythatday.

Twenty-nineroundsfiredinthecafé,tenpeoplewoundedandtwelvepeoplekilled,twominutesofterribleshadowplay.

Familiescouldnotcomprehendtheaffray,crouchedincorners,theycoveredandkneeled.BroadArrowCaféwasbusythatday,twominutesofterribleshadowplay.

Joe Dolce