An Iranian refugee, Man Haron Monis, managed to grab the attention of the entire planet on Monday. For 16 hours, the world stood transfixed on an upscale cafe in downtown Sydney, all because of one man, a former Shiite who recently became a Sunni, a self-appointed sheikh with a criminal record of over 50 charges, including indecent assault and suspicions of murdering his ex-wife. It's entirely uncertain, incidentally, that he committed that murder -- or took those hostages in the cafe -- in the name of Allah. Monis was many things, but not a terrorist. Yesterday he chose to add that title to his list of very unflattering career achievements. Some people breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that he was neither dispatched to Australia by the Islamic State group, nor underwent military training in Syria. Others, like me, are actually even more concerned. Monis proved yesterday that one does not need to be a member of Islamic State or al-Qaida to perpetrate a terrorist attack on infidel soil, in the name of Allah. All one needs is the ideology, the religious radicalization, a propensity for crime, hatred for the West and infidels, and of course, to truly believe it is all in the name of Allah and his prophet. Monis represents the modern-day anarchists, those who grant themselves licenses to kill. And today, it is very easy to receive such a license. All you need is some sort of black flag. The drama in Sydney on Monday stretched for hours into the early hours of Tuesday. It was enough time for the world to discover Australia's problems with global jihad. Australia sent troops to join the coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Many other Australians, meanwhile, have joined the terrorists of Islamic State. Like Belgium and France, Australia too is worried about jihadists returning home. Experts recalled how in September, 800 policemen arrested 15 operatives suspected of planning a terrorist attack on Australian soil. Monis was not counted among those 15. At the time, he still wasn't a terrorist. Monis was a criminal who found asylum in Australia, but left his heart outside the borders of his host country. Not only did he not appreciate the asylum he received, he even sent hate mail to the families of Australian soldiers killed while serving in Afghanistan. Monis was killed yesterday in the rescue operation. The problem is that many others like him exist. Australia perhaps lost its innocence on Monday, according to FOX News. Has the rest of the world? This is still unclear.
