Terror tactic to divide and radicalise

CANBERRA - Islamic terrorists were trying to turn Australians against each other, the nation was warned, as yet another round of anti-terror laws was being prepared for Parliament.

The warning, from immigration and multicultural affairs parliamentary secretary Andrew Robb, was delivered to a conference of Jewish, Christian and Muslim academics and community representatives in Melbourne.

Robb said Australia's physical distance from conflict in the Middle East did not prevent the nation being affected by conflict there.

Australians needed to be aware of the intentions of terrorists purporting to act in the name of Islam.

"As I see it, every terrorist act is designed to do two things," he said.

"Firstly, they seek to generate fear and suspicion and resentment among non-Muslim members of the community. At the same time they seek, with the terrorist acts, to unfairly stigmatise Muslim members both of our community and of other Western communities."

Robb said terrorists aimed to divide the community through fear and misunderstanding and to make Muslims feel alienated from Western societies. They hoped to radicalise some of the angry and alienated.

"We must all recognise the games that are being played with our minds by these terrorists. It is a game that has been played in the past by terrorists, in the name of other religions, and we must be awake to it."

His warning followed calls for calm after attacks - related to Israel's war on Hizbollah in Lebanon - on mosques and Jewish institutions.