A 22 year old African Australian woman in Adelaide has been charged with links to the Islamic State terror group. The woman appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday afternoon. It is alleged that the woman communicated with and pledged her alliance to the group online.
According to ABC news report South Australia’s assistant commissioner Linda Williams had said the accused has been charged with membership of a terrorist organisation, not with specifically planning any attack.
In the wake of the arrest the African Communities Council of South Australia in a joint statement with African Women’s Federation of SA, The Federation of African Communities Councils in Australia and Elders from South Australia’s Somali Communities issued a media release on behalf of the African Communities in South Australia.
The media release reads as follows;
‘On behalf of the African Communities in South Australia, we welcome the opportunity to engage in a constructive conversation in relation to today’s incident.
We understand that a young woman was arrested and charged with a terrorism offence, which is, being a member of the terrorist organisation, Islamic State (IS).
South Australia’s African communities are not homogenous. We are an amalgamation of ethnicities, cultures, and religions.
Our families undertook different journeys to Australia. Some arrived as skilled migrants, others as humanitarian visas, or international students. Whilst we have had different journeys – our objectives are similar in the sense that, we are proud to call South Australia home, and we strive to give back to the State that has given us so much.
We echo the remarks made by Australia Federal Police, South Australia Police, and other responsible agencies, in relation to this incident. This is about criminal behaviour – it is not about race, ethnicity, or religion. African is not synonymous with terrorism.
Like all South Australians, we support the efforts of our Police, first responders, and all agencies, to keep our community safe. We ask that the privacy of the family of this young person is respected, and ask that we stand together, and refrain from racial or cultural vilification’.
Contact Person:
Mr Mabok Deng Mabok Marial, Chairperson, African Communities Council of South Australia (0421228565) or
Dr Joseph Masika OAM, President, The Federation of African Communities Councils in Australia (0431416615)
