Life & Faith

One of the defining narratives of the twenty-first century is the threat of global terrorism. It dominates the news cycle and is one of our society’s greatest fears. According to a recent Pew study, Australians consider the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) as the global threat they are most concerned about – 69 per cent of people responded that they were “very concerned” about ISIS, ahead of climate change and the economy. This response means that for most Australians, terrorism isn’t a vague global threat that we perceive from afar – it’s real, frightening and near. In this episode, we look at how terrorism affects people in our everyday lives.  Richard Shumack talks about what it’s like to live alongside Muslim people and being a part of their community. “Some people told me they hated me,” Richard says. Some of the people he worked with were grateful for his friendship, while others were bitter about their circumstances. Nevertheless, Richard says his first response is always compassion. Profes