DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - AUSTRALIA/SAUDI ARABIA: THE AUSSIES HAVE MANAGED TO WORKOUT AN AGREEMENT WITH THE SAUDIS TO CUT FUNDING FOR THE JIHAD

Islamist extremists starved of donations

The flow of international funds to Islamic extremists in Australia has been slashed by 80 per cent thanks to an agreement with the Saudi Arabian government.

More than $120 million has flowed from Saudi charities and Saudi nationals into Australia's Islamic community since the 1970s.

The money has been used to build mosques and schools but has also helped to promote extremist Wahabist interpretations of Islam.

Islamic sources say less than $1 million flowed into Australia from Saudi Arabia in the past 12 months, according to The Australian newspaper.

The figure is one-fifth the estimated level of inflows before the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) have led the crackdown since 2004.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer visited Saudi Arabia in 2004 to initiate the "tip-off" agreement between the two countries.

"As a result of my visit to Saudi Arabia, they introduced a new system of transparency," Mr Downer told The Australian.

"Prior to that system, we don't know what funding they provided, so we can't compare what was done before with what is done now.

"But we do know that they now report (information to the Australian government)."


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