Barack Obama adding to terrorism crisis, says John Howard

THE failure of Muslims to integrate is one of the factors identified by John Howard as contributing to the terrorism crisis.

A COMPLACENT American President and the failure of Australian Muslims to integrate into the mainstream are two factors identified by John Howard as contributing to the terrorism crisis.

Referring to the rise of home-grown jihadists, the former prime minister says: “I think some people had spent too much time in small communities, closed communities, where that kind of thing can occur.” But he rejects suggestions Australia should restrict Muslim immigration, saying it would be seen as a slight against neighbours such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

Mr Howard makes the comments in his television interviews with The Australian’s Janet Albrechtsen, conducted before this week’s terror raids and airing as Howard Unmasked on the Seven Network tomorrow night.

“It’s real, it’s real both here and around the world,” he says.

“It’s obviously more serious in other countries than it is here but I don’t think any Australian should assume we won’t have a terrorist incident here.

“That was my view when I was prime minister based on all the ­advice I then had … that is why we brought in a lot of laws and got a lot more resources to the intelligence and security people.”

When asked if we have become complacent since 9/11, Mr Howard takes aim at Barack Obama, a man whose election he once warned would be welcomed by terrorists.

“I think it’s always a danger that you get complacent,” he says. “I was surprised at the complacency in President Obama’s speech a few months ago to the West Point graduation ceremony where he talked about the strength of the threat in, I thought, rather too relaxed a tone of voice. We shouldn’t be complacent, we should be quite unapologetic in demanding in all sections of the Australian community an acceptance that people (who) in any way support terrorism are behaving in a way that is inconsistent in the values and wealth of this country.”

Pressed on the rise of Australian jihadists joining the Islamic State terror organisation in Syria and Iraq, Mr Howard says “we should try harder” at integration.

“As many people know I’m not an overwhelming fan of the doctrine of multiculturalism.”.

“I believe in multi-racialism, I believe in bringing people of different races, of different religions, to this country, but once you’re here you’ve got to become part of the mainstream of community. I think over the years we’ve dropped off that a bit too much.”

Albrechtsen asks whether it would be legitimate to debate slowing the rate of Muslim immigration. “I wouldn’t initiate a debate on that, certainly not in present circumstances,” Mr Howard replies. “Apart from anything else it would be seen among friends such as ­Indonesia and Malaysia as a negative thing. I think what is important is to encourage, as much as we can, people of influence within the Muslim community to continue their repudiation of terrorism and bad behaviour; I think that’s happening and I applaud those people who’ve been involved in doing that.”

The nation’s second longest serving prime minister discusses what he views as a lack of “cultural self-belief” in Australia and other Western countries. He also expresses disappointment at the Abbott government’s decision to drop changes to the Racial Discrimination Act, and says Attorney-General George Brandis’s declaration that people have a “right” to be bigots was a mistake because it sounded as if he was “encouraging” bigotry.

On Julia Gillard — who launches her memoirs with her own major television interview next week — Mr Howard says she was always a “very pleasant person” to deal with but never held “authority” because of the way she seized the job and her failure to win a majority at the 2010 election.

Howard Unmasked airs as a Sunday Night special at 8pm on the Seven Network.