Islamic Council Proposes ‘Safe Spaces’ for Their Youth

An Islamic group in Australia has suggested the country put taxpayer funds toward Muslim “safe spaces.”

The Islamic Council of Victoria maintains that Muslim youth need a safe place in which to process their emotions.

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“In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into freedom of religion, Islamic leaders have demanded [that] government funding for anti-terrorism and anti-extremism should be used to create the religious sanctuaries,” the Daily Mail reported on June 7.

The submission, in other words, includes a plan to use money that’s currently allocated for counterterrorism and to counter violent extremism measures.

“Muslim Victorians experience religious intolerance in the form of Islamophobia, racial abuse, and breaches of our universal human rights in the name of national security and some Australian media personality’s ‘freedom of speech’ claims,” according to the submission inquiry.

The council cites “Islamophobia” as a reason for the desired safe spaces — and it prepared recommendations for the Australian parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade.

Related: Recent ISIS Attacks Have a Sick New Theme

“Religious visibility of Muslim communities is also described in the context of targeted Islamophobia, not only for women wearing a hijab, but for the description: ‘Middle Eastern appearance’ in the media,” according to the Islamic Council of Victoria.

The council has 11 recommendations for the submission.

“This idea is deeply unhelpful and wrong,” Multicultural Affairs Minister Robin Scott stated. “Under no circumstances would we support the diversion of state funding from counterterrorism initiatives for such a proposal.”

Not incidentally, this week in Melbourne, Australia, officials treated a deadly attack as an act of terrorism.

Related: What Lawmakers Said About Religious Persecution in the Middle East

“We understand that the police are investigating this as a potential terrorist attack but note that the perpetrator himself appeared to be confused … claiming allegiance to both ISIS and al-Qaida, known enemies,” the Islamic Council notes. The perpetrator killed one man.

In the United States, the University of Kansas created a women-only “safe space” for Muslim students.

“It was the brainchild of Muslim Student Association leaders who said Muslim women needed a ‘safe space’ on campus to eat their lunches,” World Net Daily reported in January. “After all, it’s not easy to eat while wearing the burqa or hijab, traditional Islamic veils that cover the mouth.”