Maltese Terrorists? - Terroristi Maltin?

Maltese Terrorists?

 

What's he on about, I can almost hear you think!

 

I need to say up front I have no one in particular in mind who fits this description.  Nevertheless, it's not an outlandish proposition to imagine a situation where there could be people who could be so described.  Le me explain.

 

Yesterday, I was watching the programme 60 Minutes on the commercial station Channel 9.1  Part of the program was about an Australian citizen called Oliver Bridgeman, a young person who converted to Islam two years ago and a few months back told his family he was going to Indonesia for humanitarian work, and instead went to Syria.

 

Many people and newspapers concluded that Oliver was a terrorist.  Other people who knew him declared that this was against his character.

 

A journalist managed to find and interview him in Syria.  On the contrary to those having a similar story, Oliver did not talk against Australia, did not utter threats, denied having any links to terrorism and declared all he was doing was humanitarian work with local people who were suffering due to the civil war that has been raging for years.

 

I have no idea whether he's sincere in what he's doing and saying, although he gave every impression of so being.  I don't want to enter into the merits of that, but rather to raise the point that if this person is in fact sincere, why would Australia consider him to be criminal?

 

The latter consideration is a result of the Australian Criminal Code, which says that anybody who simply goes to a place that is proscribed (like the province of al-Raqqa in Syria2), would be considered to have committed an offence (see Article 119.2 of the Criminal Code), with its penal consequence (10 years jail).

 

There are harsher penalties, including life imprisonment, for other acts.

 

The law mentions exceptions, including whether the person's presence is humanitarian, or whether it's serving a foreign government including its armed forces (but not other forces defending the government), however the accused needs to prove this.  In other words, if the accused cannot prove his legitimate nature of his presence in a proscribed location (which in the chaos of war is to be expected), the presumption is that his presence is not legitimate.

 

What has this to do with the Maltese?

 

One does not commonly hear in Australia that 330 kilometres to the south of the land of our forefathers, in Libya there are groups of people allied to Islamic State (IS) or other terrorist groups like Al Qaeda.  This are doing everything possible to use the chaos created after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi to establish an extreme Islamic reign there.  What would it take to glance north at that little island in the middle of the Mediterranean, and attempt to finish the job what had been unsuccessfully tried by another caliphate 500 years ago?

 

Needless to say, I don't expect something like that to actually come to fruition, and currently the main enemies of these terrorist groups seems to be similar groups3, however let's overlook this realism for a moment.  Imagine a situation like that, with predominantly Christian Maltese people face to face with followers of IS who believe that the only people who have a right to live are those who agree with them, and anyone else is only suitable as a slave or dead.

 

I would expect that many Maltese still with a beating heart, even if having emigrated to other countries, would consider going back to that sweet land, to fight for their families, friends and the country of their ethnic identity.  This fighting would probably involve violence and the use of arms, and participation in some armed force which would not necessarily be either official or formal, even if fighting in favour of the local authorities.

 

What would happen if the situation got so bad that the Australian government decided to add Malta as a proscribed location as is al-Raqqa in Syria?

 

With the current Australian law, if a Maltese-Australian citizen decided to go to Malta to defend the Maltese people, he would be breaking the law, unless there was a declaration according to Article 119.8 that this person, or class of persons, would not be subject to the preceding clauses.

 

And what would happen until this declaration was made?  And what about if it is never made?  Should our family member be left to be cut to pieces?

 

There is a similar situation in Syria, where ethnic Kurds are going there from Australia and other countries, not for humanitarian work, but to defend their people from the advancing IS.4  The Kurds were one of the ethnic groups in Syria and Iraq, that were heavily attacked by the IS terrorists.  Until now, the Australian government has not declared Kurdish armed forces as legitimate, after months and years of this civil war.

 

It's a scary and tragic situation for Australian Kurds who decide to risk everything for the land of their birth, to end up being considered terrorists for having the courage and bravery to defend their people.

 

It would be a scary and tragic situation if, God forbid, the same situation happened in Malta, and Maltese-Australians end up having the same predicament.

 

So help us God!

 

 

Terroristi Maltin?

 

Hawn b'xiex ġej, qed naħsibkom tgħidu f'qalbkom?

 

Irrid ngħid mallewwel li m'għandi 'l ħadd partikulari f'moħħi li nista' niddiskrivih hekk.  Però mhix ħaġa ta' barra minn hawn li timmaġina sitwazzjoni fejn ikun hemm nies li jiġu deskritti hekk.  Ħalli nispjega ruħi.

 

Ilbieraħ, kont qed nara l-programm 60 Minutes fuq l-istazzjon kummerċjali Channel 9.1  Parti mill-programm kien jirrigwarda ċittadin Awstraljan jismu Oliver Bridgeman, żagħżugħ li sentejn ilu sar Musulman u ftit xhur ilu qal lill-familja tiegħu li kien sejjer l-Indoneżja biex jagħmel xogħol umanitarju, u minflok mar is-Sirja.

 

Ħafna nies u diversi ġurnali kkonkludew li Oliver kien terrorista.  Nies oħra li jafuh stqarrew li dan ma kienx fil-karattru tiegħu.

 

Ġurnalist irnexxilu jsibu fis-Sirja w intervistah.  Oliver, kuntrarju għal nies oħra li kellhom storja simili, ma tkellimx kontra l-Awstralja, ma qalx kliem ta' theddid, ċaħad li kellu rbit terroristiċi u stqarr li kull ma qiegħed jagħmel hu li jagħmel xogħol umanitarju man-nies tal-post li qegħdin ibatu minħabba l-gwerra ċivili li ilha għaddejja snin.

 

Jien ma nafx jekk hux sinċier f'dak li qed jgħid u jagħmel, għalkemm ta kull impressjoni li kien.  Jien ma nixtieqx nidħol f'dak il-mertu, imma rrid inqajjem il-punt li jekk dan il-persuna fil-fatt huwa sinċier, għalfejn għandha l-Awstralja tqisu li huwa kriminali?

 

Din tal-aħħar tirriżulta mill-Kodiċi Kriminali tal-Awstralja, li tgħid li kull min sempliċement imur f'post li huwa meqjus proskritt (bħall-provinċja ta' al-Raqqa fis-Sirja2), ikun meqjus li għamel offiża (ara Artiklu 119.2 tal-Kodiċi Kriminali), bil-konsegwenzi penali tagħha (10 snin priġunerija).

 

Hemm pieni iktar ħorox, inkluż l-għomor il-ħabs, għal atti oħra.

 

Il-liġi ssemmi eċċezzjonijiet, inklużi jekk il-preżenza tal-persuna hijiex ta' natura umanitarja, jew li qed isservi lil gvern barrani inklużi l-forzi armati tiegħu (imma mhux forzi oħra li qed jiddefendu l-gvern), imma min ikun akkużat irid jipprova dan.  Fi kliem ieħor, jekk l-akkużat ma jistax jipprova n-natura leġittima tal-preżenza tiegħu f'post proskritt (li fil-ġenn ta' matul il-gwerra ta' min jistenniha li tiġri), ikun hemm il-preżunzjoni li l-preżenza tiegħu ma tkunx leġittima.

 

Il-Maltin fejn jidħlu?

 

Fl-Awstralja ma tantx jissemma li 330 kilometru biss fin-nofsinhar ta' pajjiż missirijietna, fil-Libja hemm gruppi ta' nies li huma allejati ta' Stat Islamiku (SI) jew ta' gruppi terroristiċi oħra bħal Al Qaeda.  Dawn qed jagħmlu minn kollox biex fil-kaos li nħoloq wara l-waqgħa ta' Muammar Gaddafi, jistabbilixxu renju estremist Iżlamiku hemmhekk.  X'iridu li jixirfu ħarsithom lejn dik il-gżira ċkejkna f'nofs il-Mediterran, u jittantaw iwettqu dak li ma rnexxielhomx jagħmlu dawk minn kalifat ieħor ta' 500 sena ilu?

 

M'għandniex xi ngħidu, m'iniex qed nistenna xi ħaġa bħal din li tiġri fis-seħħ, u bħalissa l-għedewwa prinċipali tal-gruppi terroristiċi jidher li huma gruppi simili oħra3, imma ejja nwarrbu dan ir-realiżmu għall-mument.  Immaġina sitwazzjoni bħal dik, b'Maltin predominantement Insara jsibu ruħhom wiċċ imb'wiċċ ma' segwaċi ta' SI li jemmnu li l-uniċi nies li għandhom dritt jgħixu huma dawk biss li jaqblu magħhom, u li ħaddieħor tajjeb biss bħala skjav jew għall-mewt.

 

Jien nistenna li diversi Maltin b'qalbhom għadha tbaqbaq, anke jekk emigraw f'pajjiżi oħra, jitħajru jmorru lura lejn dik l-art ħelwa, biex jitqabdu għall-familji tagħhom, ħbiebhom u l-pajjiż li tagħthom l-identità etnika.  Dan it-taqbid aktarx jinvolvi l-vjolenza u l-użu tal-armi, u l-parteċipazzjoni ma' xi forza armata li mhux neċessarjament ikun uffiċjali jew formali, anke jekk tiġġieled favur l-awtoritajiet tal-post.

 

X'jiġri jekk is-sitwazzjoni tant teħżien li l-gvern Awstraljan jiddeċiedi li jżid lil Malta bħala post proskritt bħal ma hu al-Raqqa fis-Sirja?

 

Kif inhi l-liġi Awstraljana llum, jekk xi ħadd b'ċittadinanza doppja Maltija-Awstraljana jiddeċiedi li jmur Malta biex jiddefendi lill-Maltin, ikun ukoll qed jikser il-liġi, sakemm ma ssirx dikjarazzjoni skont l-Artiklu 119.8 li din il-persuna, jew klassi ta' persuni bħalu, ma jkunux suġġetti għall-klawsoli ta' qabel.

 

U sakemm issir din id-dikjarazzjoni, x'jiġri?  U jekk ma ssir qatt?  Inħallu l-familjari tagħna jitqattgħu biċċiet?

 

Hemm sitwazzjoni simili fis-Sirja, fejn persuni ta' etniċità Kurda qed imorru hemm mill-Awstralja u pajjiżi oħra, mhux biex jagħmlu xogħol umanitarju, imma biex jiddefendu lil nieshom mill-avvanzi ta' SI.4  Il-Kurdi kienu wieħed mill-gruppi etniċi fis-Sirja u l-Iraq, li ġew attakkati bl-aħrax mit-terroristi ta' SI.  S'issa, l-gvern Awstraljan ma ddikjarax forzi armati Kurdi bħala leġittimi, wara xhur u snin ta' din il-gwerra ċivili.

 

Hija sitwazzjoni tal-biża, u tal-biki, għall-Kurdi-Awstraljani li jiddeċiedu li jirriskjaw kollox għal art twelidhom, li jispiċċaw jitqiesu terroristi għax għandhom il-kuraġġ u l-qlubija li jiddefendu lil nieshom.

 

Tkun sitwazzjoni tal-biża, u tal-biki, jekk allaħares qatt tiġri l-istess sitwazzjoni f'Malta, u Maltin-Awstraljani jiġu fl-istess predikament.

 

Hekk Alla għinna!

 

1http://www.9jumpin.com.au/show/60minutes/stories/2015/august/missing-in-syria/ retrieved 24/8/2015

2http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/WhatAustraliaisdoing/Pages/Declaredarea-al-RaqqaProvinceSyria.aspx, retrieved 24/8/2015

3http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/08/the-islamic-state-wants-mokhtar-belmokhtar-dead.php, retrieved 24/8/2015

4http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-28/recruitment-moves-by-kurds-and-what-may-happen-to-matt-gardiner/6051596, retrieved 24/8/2015