Junaid Thorne, the Noongar man who was deported from Saudi Arabia in 2013 after protesting his brother's imprisonment for terrorism-related offences, has criticised the government for targeting Muslims following raids in Sydney and Brisbane today.
In an exclusive interview with NITV News, Thorne said Islam was a peaceful religion and the Australian government was unfairly targeting its followers.
"I think I speak for all Muslims when I say that as Muslims we are peaceful people; we don't encourage violence," he said.
"The government itself is posing a threat to the community by picking on the Muslims and by targeting them in these new laws that they’re thinking of passing."
"I think the raids that happened today in Sydney and Brisbane are a clear example of that."
He said Muslims, like all Australians were concerned about the safety of Australia.
"But what sickens us is the hypocrisy and double standards of the government," he said.
Thorne said he did not support any group but argued Muslims should not be prohibited from travelling to support other Muslims abroad.
"As a Muslim I’m against terrorism but a law cannot prevent Muslims from travelling overseas to help other Muslims," he said.
"If you're going to pass a law you shouldn’t pass it down on a certain religion or a certain group of people."
“If someone wants to go and help his brothers overseas because he sees them being oppressed – why stop him?"
-With AAP
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