Australia to Ban Groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir for ‘Promoting Terrorism’

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that hate preachers would be banned from entering into the country.

Abbott mentioned groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir which was scheduled to hold a lecture at Lakemba in Sydney on Friday. The lecture called "The War to End a Blessed Revolution" is apparently against the U.S.-led international mission in Syria. According to the Aussie PM, the group gets engaged in "hate preaching." He also said that the members of such groups should not be allowed to enter Australia to attend such meetings, The Australian reported.

Abbott said that there was no point in "importing troublemakers from overseas to stir people up. Abbott was talking to Macquarie Radio on Wednesday as he said that he was sorry to have not yet "red-carded" the hate preachers. However, he indicated that the ban on such "hate preachers" would be imposed "quickly." Abbott also said that the present legal system in the country would not allow a ban on groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir until those got involved in terrorism.

Abbott, on the other hand, said that new laws would be introduced later in 2014 to ban those groups campaigning against Australian values. The new laws will ban groups from promoting terrorism. "Under the law that we are bringing through the Parliament hopefully before the end of the year, it will be an offence to promote terrorism, not just to engage in terrorism, but to promote terrorism," Abbott said, "Then, I suppose, we have to have another look at Hizb ut-Tahrir to see whether they fall under the definition of promoting terrorism." - The Sydney Morning Herald quoted.

According to the brochure of the Friday lecture, it will accuse the United States of initiating strikes against a "noble Syrian revolution." "America has initiated yet another war, rounding up its puppets and allies to attack the Syrian revolution, while using intervention in Iraq as a convenient excuse," the brochure says. Australia is a part of the international troops being presently involved in the Middle East. Australia, however, has not yet dropped any bombs against the Islamic State even though it has been a part of the air combat missions. Abbott said that Australia would not be a part of the Syria mission. He also clarified that Australian troops were in Iraq only because the Iraqi government had requested for it.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au