Peaceful academic or Terrorist

The debate on whether Ahmed Zaoui should be allowed refugee status has been interesting for the sheer one sided nature of the debate which had even myself thinking that the Government was being too harsh.

However I have been finding out that the Government actually has good reason for caution – they have just been lousy at communicating it.

It took the efforts of National MP Wayne Mapp for me to realise that Mr Zaoui has been convicted of terrorism crimes not just in Algeria (which can be discounted) but also in Belgium and France.

These facts have been almost never reported in mainstream media.

I don’t know for sure whether Mr Zaoui is a terrorist but the more Keith Locke declares he is not, makes me more likely to think he is. I do not have universal admiration for the judgement of our SIS, but I do have considerable faith in the Inspector-General of Intelligence & Security to make a balanced decision without the bleatings of various Churches who to be frank don’t have any idea whether he is or is not a terrorist.