Embarrassed to be a Kiwi

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Politics is a blood sport.  Sometimes it matters.  This past week we were treated to the Colosseum-crowd's full throated blood lust roar.  It transpired that Prime Minister, John Key and Rebecca Kitteridge, NZ's spy boss, told what is alleged to be a half-truth when, at a Parliamentary committee some time ago, they spoke of the risk of Kiwi jihadi-brides heading off to the Middle East.  

It has been revealed that the Kiwi women they had in mind were actually living in Australia (on New Zealand passports).  They had indeed left Australia and headed off to meet the "love of their lives" amongst ISIS jihadis.  One newspaper foamed at the mouth:

Editorial:The jihadi brides affair is extremely damaging for the Government. It raises serious questions about the accuracy of claims made by John Key, SIS boss Rebecca Kitteridge and Security Intelligence Minister Chris Finlayson.

Kitteridge told MPs in December that there had been a rise in the number of New Zealand women travelling to Syria and Iraq. Key referred to them as "jihadi brides".  This clearly left the impression that the women were leaving from this country. Now it has become clear that they left from Australia. But Key and Kitteridge did nothing to correct the false impression they left. It is nonsense to say, as Finlayson does, that the women's point of departure is "irrelevant".

The security threat from women based here is plainly greater than that from New Zealand citizens in Australia.  The politicians and the spy boss know this very well. But it obviously suited their purposes to leave the false impression. After all, they were trying to warn New Zealand about the enemy within, not the enemy in Australia.  [Dominion Post]

Oh, this is lovely.  The Government has rightly observed out that the point of departure for these jihadi brides is irrelevant.  The fact is that they have a right to return to New Zealand, being NZ citizens and passport holders.  We have seen the risk play out here in NZ in another sphere.  Australia has taken a hard line sending back to this country NZ citizens who have committed serious crimes in that country.  We have had to take them back.   Many promptly have resumed their life of crime in this country.

The risk, then, is not academic.  It is real.  Sure as shooting, Australia will not take these returning Kiwi-passport holders back into Australia.  They will end up here (assuming they got back alive).  Sure as shooting, it will become a problem on-shore.  How will the ex-jihadi-brides re-integrate?  How will we cope if any of these ostensibly repentant jihadi-bribes actually being sent back as bride-recruiters for ISIS.

The Minister in charge of the security services, Chris Finlayson is no shrinking violet.  His biting sarcasm can be a thing to behold.

Minister responsible for the SIS and GCSB Christopher Finlayson said the departure point of the women was irrelevant.   "I would have thought the critical issue is were they New Zealand citizens; whether they left from Kingsford Smith airport or Auckland Airport is by-the-by."

Asked if he should apologise for the comments, he responded: "to whom and for what?" "I'm visiting with the muslim population tomorrow night in Auckland and I'm happy to proffer an apology on behalf of Metiria Turei who started all this nonsense."  Asked if he thought the comments were misleading he said he would not go through it again, "otherwise I'll just die of boredom".  [Stuff]

Some media (and pollies) are demanding that the government apologize to "the muslim community" for a "slur" which implied that jihadi brides were leaving from New Zealand.  They even managed to broadcast a clip of a head-scarfed Islamic woman who alleged an insult to all Islamic women in New Zealand, and, therefore, to Islam.  She claimed she had been offended.  She played the "victim card" perfectly.

Here was a golden opportunity for an Islamic woman to decry jihadi-brides and warn the entire Islamic community about being involved in any way.  Did she stand up for righteousness?  No. She framed herself as a victim and asked for a government apology.

It's enough to stir the blood.