Muslim youth need to play a greater role in combating the radicalisation of young people, Curtin University researcher Anne Aly says.
Dr Aly told SBS IS was already “way ahead” in using younger people to influence children online.
“You don’t see anyone, say, over the age of 25 on any of their recruitment videos,” she said.
“They don’t use older men, older ideologues.
“They use young people telling other young people how great Islamic State is.
“And that’s probably one of the reasons why they’re way ahead of us here in influencing these young people because they know what works while we should know what works, but we still seem to be struggling with that.”
Dr Aly said many teenagers, regardless of religion, could be disenfranchised from adult society, which they may see as overly prescriptive or frustrating.
“They’re often angry with adults as well, they’re often angry that they don’t have a voice and so trying to reach a 15 or 16-year-old through a 52-year-old sheikh or a 52-year-old community leader isn’t going to work,” she said.
She said governments and law enforcement agencies were taking “the easy way out” by dealing only with community leaders who were more willing to talk with governments than young people.
“All over Australia there are young people who want to be part of the solution and are extremely passionate about the well-being of their community, but the well-being of all Australian young people as well,” she said.
“The problem is many aren’t afforded the opportunity to become part of the solution.
“So we need to have a lot more programs that do that, a lot more programs that recognise that young people are the solution, they are not the problem.”
Dr Aly’s comments contrast with those of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Mr Turnbull called on parents to keep tabs on what their children were up to in the aftermath of the shooting of a police accountant by a 15-year-old boy in Parramatta, in Sydney’s west.
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“We all need to be aware of the way in which radicalisation can occur – communities at every level, families should be aware of what young people are doing, what influences are impacting on young people,” he said.
Assistant minister for multicultural affairs Concetta Fierravanti-Wells said she believed disengaged young people were being preyed upon.
“What is very clear is that involvement, radical involvement, involvement with Daesh is now what has been termed to me a new way to rebel,” she said on Tuesday.
“They are being induced with promises of AK-47s, drugs and women - I have heard that from people who have had dialogue with the young people.”
Senator Fierravanti-Wells said she believed the solution lay in working with communities and developing programs focused on tackling social issues.
Dr Aly has that encourage, and challenge, Muslim youth to be better followers of their faith as well as better members of society.
But she warned that once someone had been radicalised it was very difficult to “bring them back” and intervention was necessary.
