Tn the fallout of the recent terror raids in Melbourne and the ensuing investigations, we would be wise to reflect again on the possible motivations of those who would perpetrate acts of terrorism within Australia.
A likely motivator is that a small number of people from migrant communities are unable or unwilling to cross the cultural borders dividing the culture of their home country and their new country of residence. For these few, the drive to retain or recreate an idealised version of their home culture could lead to violent consequences.
Of course, the connection between violence and terrorism is not new. There are numerous examples, as far back as 3000BC Egypt. In the 5th CenturyAD there were the Visigoths who terrorised Roman Iberia. Some argue that India's First War of Independence in 1857, known more popularly as the Indian Mutiny, was a series of terror attacks by Indian sepoys against the British Raj.
Contemporary examples of terrorist organisations include the IRA guerrillas of Northern Ireland, the United Liberation Front of Asom (or ULFA) in North East India; and the recently defeated Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam in Sri Lanka.
These groups have used war and violence to retaliate against oppression and to gain advantages that were politically denied.
Today's new form of terrorism is more politically and emotionally charged. These terrorists do not hesitate to use terrible acts of violence to send messages about fundamental political and religious beliefs. The recent would-be attack against an Australian army base is one such example.
It was an attempt by extremists to send a clear message to the rest of the world. It was a situation when the battle within an individual takes monstrous proportions and emerges to terrorise the world outside. The concept of cultural border crossing explains this more clearly.
More people than ever before live in countries outside their birthplace. This high rate of migration exposes cultural differences that need transition. Such cultural borders do not have physical margins like political borders, but are delineated by behaviour and communication.
An example that comes to mind is the sacrosanctity of punctuality in some cultures and the socially graceful manana in others. A more serious cultural border is France's rejection of head-scarfs which are mandatory for women in some Islamic cultures.
Cultural borders pose immense challenges for migrants who wish to become assimilated into a new country.
Apparently, almost all first generation migrants are prepared to cross cultural borders when they decide to leave their homelands. This is not the case for many second-generation migrants, mainly for two reasons.
Most second-generation migrants do not have first-hand experiences of their parents' home culture. Yet they are brought up to respect the values that are endemic to that culture. For example, their eating habits, dress and the language spoken at home relate strongly to their parents' home country.
A second issue is that they do not develop a true sense of belonging to their new country of residence. It is common for second-generation migrants to be confronted with conflicts of cultural identity.
When there are too many differences between their home culture and the culture of their adopted country, second-generation migrants need to make a choice and the choices they make can be skewed by religious and political ideologies.
A few second-generation migrants may choose to recreate the culture that they idealise for their parents' home country. Social scientists believe that such a desire gives rise to inner turmoil that is the root cause of modern terrorism.
Perhaps the answer to tackling terrorism in a country like Australia, then, lies in helping migrants to transit smoothly across cultural borders. By this I do not imply a diversification of the Citizenship Test. Crossing cultural borders is not as simple as one culture learning more about the other. Migrants should be made aware of the social and historic reasons behind Australian culture. They need to be able to draw parallels to their own cultures. They must be given purpose and a sense of belonging in their new home, not a set of arbitrary facts which they may soon forget. Most important, culture border crossings need to be bridges built on mutual trust.
Sean Perera is a PhD researcher at the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at the ANU. His research explores the importance of Western and non-Western cultural differences to the exchange of knowledge.
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