Australian immigration minister singles out Lebanese-Muslim migrants as source of terrorism

Australia’s Immigration Minister Peter Dutton doubled-down on recent comments maintaining that allowing immigration from some countries was a “mistake,” singling out Lebanese-Muslims on Monday as a source of terrorism.

Speaking in question time in the Australian lower house, Dutton said Lebanese nationals, the bulk of whom arrived in Australia around the time of the Lebanese civil war that began in 1975, were over-represented in terrorist-related offences.

“The advice I have is that out of the last 33 people who have been charged with terrorist-related offences in this country, 22 of those people are from second and third generation Lebanese-Muslim background,” he said.

“Many people who have built this country over many decades deserve to be praised. But I am going to call out those people who are doing the wrong thing.”

Dutton made the statement after opposition leader Bill Shorten questioned him on comments made in a television interview in which he said former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser of the Liberal party made “mistakes in bringing some people in, in the 1970s, and we’re seeing that today.”

Unsurprisingly, Dutton’s comments drew ire from across the political spectrum, with Shorten calling on Dutton to apologise for the “shameful remarks.”

“Enough is enough. Our hardworking migrant communities shouldn’t have to tolerate this kind of ignorant stupidity and [Dutton] needs to immediately apologise,” he said in a statement.