Prisoners practising militant-style Islam in New South Wales's jails are a target of new laws passed in the state.
The state has adopted practices from the United States and Israel where similar problems are faced and has passed legislation to specifically monitor any inmate who potentially threatens national security. Justice Minister John Hatzistergos has denied newspaper reports of a security alert in the state's prisons because growing numbers of prisoners are converting to Islam. "We have this week passed a legislation which allows us to categorise any inmate who potentially threatens national security," Mr Hatzistergos said. "There is of course nothing wrong with inmates adopting a religion. The concerns do arise when that religion is adopted for more sinster purposes."
He says there is a problem with some of the most dangerous inmates practising extremism and a risk of terror organisations recruiting new members from prisons, but that the Government is being pro-active. "There is no evidence that we have at the moment that there's any particular plot or plan of a terrorist nature being put together in the state's correctional facilities," he said. "Nevertheless, the circumstances are such that as does require close monitoring and surveillance. It's significant in the sense that the inmates concerned are inmates who are considered among some of the more dangerous inmates we have. Their activities are particularly the subject of attention."
Prisoner support groups say tighter security in New South Wales prisons should apply to all dangerous inmates, not just those who have converted to Islam. Overseas evidence suggests that jails can be a recruiting ground for terrorist groups but Craig Baird, from the Prisoners' Aid Association, has warned officials not to jump to conclusions. "People convert to Islam for lots of different reasons and the vast majority of those who do that pose no threat," he said. |