Let’s be honest: Man Haron Monis was an IS terrorist

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/lets-be-honest-man-haron-monis-was-an-is-terrorist/story-fni0cwl5-1227158489614

AUSTRALIA has watched anxiously as its citizens travelled to Syria and Iraq to take up arms for IS but Man Haron Monis did the opposite — he brought IS to Australia.

As much as some commentators may not want to admit it, Monis followed the IS playbook to the letter.

Capture worldwide media attention by taking “disbelievers” hostage. Tick.

Raise a jihadist flag. Tick.

Film the terrorised hostages in front of said flag. Tick.

Kill an American, European, Australian or Canadian. Sadly, tick.

But as the first Islamic terror attack against Australian civilians on home soil reached a bloody end, many observers have been at pains to distance Monis from terrorism.

Seven’s Sunrise host David Koch assured viewers over and over that there was no link between Monis and IS.

Monis’ former lawyer Manny Conditsis claimed the Lindt cafe attack was “not a concerted terrorism event or act”. “This was a one-off random individual,” he told the ABC.

Sydney barrister Larissa Andelman tweeted that the notion of “Islamic terror” was “not supported by the facts”. “More like Martin Byrant in Tasmania. Lone crazy guy,” she wrote.

Monis was certainly crazy — but show me a terrorist that isn’t.

That Monis — a long-time purveyor of hate who boasted almost 15,000 Facebook followers — acted as a “lone wolf” is hardly relevant when assessing whether he saw himself acting on behalf of IS.

It is IS’ ability to attract disenfranchised individuals through its horrific social media campaigns that makes it a global menace. If Osama bin Laden ran al-Qaeda for company men, IS is open to freelancers.

There is no need to fill in a membership form to join IS’ bloodthirsty quest; no need to declare if you are single or part of a group; no need to wait for an instruction to attack.

“If you can kill a disbelieving American or European ... or an Australian or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely on Allah, and kill him in any manner or way, however it may be,’’ IS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani declared in September.

Monis’ attack came after other so-called “lone wolves” acted in Ottawa, Jerusalem and New York in the wake of IS’ September edict.

While veteran Australian security expert Neil Fergus said IS would “try to claim” the cafe attack as one of its own, Monis himself was desperate to declare it so.

The three videos uploaded to YouTube showed three of Monis’ poor hostage victims calling on the media to report that “this is an attack on Australia by IS”.

Monis also promised, through the hostages’ videos, to release one of his victims if an IS flag was delivered to the cafe.

Attempts to write off Monis as a self-styled cleric are also wide of the mark. Conditsis pointed out his former client was a Muslim cleric in Iran before he received political asylum in Australia in about 2001.

There can be also no doubt that his attack was a terrorist act, as defined under Australia’s Criminal Code Act 1995.

The code says: “A ‘terrorist act’ is an act, or a threat to commit an act, that is done with the intention to coerce or influence the public or any government by intimidation to advance a political, religious or ideological cause, and the act causes: death, serious harm or endangers a person.”

Put simply, Monis acted to advance a political, religious or ideological cause and endangered people.

He was a terrorist, clearly influenced by IS. Let’s be honest. His victims deserve at least that.

In my opinion, he isnt a terrorist ... he was a psycho who tried to gain some sort of credibility/ acceptability by using his religion

wally1 wrote on Dec 19^th, 2014 at 9:00am:


He was a shia who became a sunni/salafi.

His wife wears a niqab, I saw her when he was convicted of sending letters to soldiers families.

So what did his flag say- there is no god but god and Muhammad was his messenger.

Is that the exact verse people say when they convert/revert to Islam?

Rocketanski wrote on Dec 19^th, 2014 at 9:27am:


have the optometrist check your prescription if you are having trouble reading

|dev|null wrote on Dec 19^th, 2014 at 10:27am:


How unlucky is the religion of peace? All these mentally insane people killing and blowing shlt up in the name of Islam, but it ain't got nothing to do with being Muslim.

Good riddance wrote on Dec 19^th, 2014 at 10:44am:


The terrorist had hostages post videos online saying it was an attack by the Islamic state.

The leftist apologists claim it had nothing to do with Islam despite the offenders saying it did, if it was a Christian/jew/hindu/Buddhist doing terror I am sure they would take them on their word,Islam gets a free pass from morally bankrupt leftists.

You're still so afraid to let the actual doctrine be the adjudicator?

|dev|null wrote on Dec 19^th, 2014 at 11:04am:


Well done, you are in exact agreement then with Matty/Moses/Yadda/etc you just disagree on the name of the religion.