Our response as Australian Muslims to the shocking and tragic bombings in Bali is one of utter aversion and dismay. Aversion because hundreds of innocent young people were murdered in a most horrifying way for no justifiable reason. And dismay because this sinful deed has been perpetrated by men who call themselves Muslims. Islam can never condone such an act and those who seek to claim that this is warranted in our noble religion are severely misguided. The Prophet (s) would never lend his support to such a repulsive and mistaken idea. He would abhor it.

We express our deepest and sincerest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who perished in the two fiery blasts.

We are also mindful of the inevitable fact that ordinary, decent, Australian Muslims – especially our womenfolk who are easily identified by their distinctive dress - will once again become targets for unthinking reprisals, acts of racism, verbal and physical abuse, as well as objects of increased surveillance by the authorities. For us this tragedy is double-edged: we are grieved that our fellow Australians have been murdered and as a community and as individuals we are anxious that we will suffer collective punishment as a consequence of it.

Another local bogeyman has been created by ASIO and other powers in the form of "JI" or "Jamaat Islamiah". The homes of many blameless Australian residents and citizens of Indonesian descent have been raided, their lives disrupted, their possessions confiscated.

The Rev. Fred Nile has proposed in the NSW Parliament that Muslim women be banned from wearing traditional Islamic dress in public. An application to establish a small place of worship in the outer Sydney suburb of Annangrove has been swamped with objections.

On a positive note, however, we see non-Muslim women donning headscarves in solidarity and support for their Muslim sisters, emphasising the idea that women must not be made scapegoats nor succumb to being victimised. Tens of thousands of Australians have rallied and marched in capital cities to express their opposition to the US–lead plan to invade or attack Iraq.

Our Prime Minister and our Government have the duty to steer us as a nation safely through these troubled times. To allay fears, not to pointscore politically. To draw us together, not to divide us.

John Howard’s public response to a heartfelt plea from Brian Deegan, the father of one of the Bali victims, is worth quoting.

"Dear Mr Deegan: I read your letter with deep sympathy. I can only begin to understand the grief you feel and the void in your life as a consequence of the wantonly evil act that claimed the life of your son, Joshua. You asked me: "Why did [my] son die?" I don’t have a perfect answer to that but I will do my best. He died at the hands of a murderous group of Islamic fanatics who despise the liberal democratic, open life of Western nations, such as Australia. He died because there are people in the world who believe that indiscriminate violent murder is a justifiable political instrument."

Mr Howard is careful to identify those responsible for the Bali bombings as "a murderous group of Islamic fanatics". I think I know what he means: that the vast majority of the world’s Muslims – and Australian Muslims in particular - are not fanatics at all but peaceful, ordinary people who do not despise the Western, liberal-democratic lifestyle. But that’s not what he writes. His use of the word "Islamic" is confusing and unintentionally misleading. Let me elaborate with a simple comparison. Christianity is a religion followed by millions of Christians, but Islam is not a religion followed by millions of Islamics. Its followers are called Muslims.

This is a very small but vital distinction. Mr Howard seems unaware of the subtlety of the nuances between the two. He is unknowingly reinforcing an erroneous and well-worn concept. What the PM writes is an oxymoron – "Islamic" and "fanatic" are by definition and nature opposites. Yet he has linked them, both on the page and in the minds of millions of readers: Islam and fanaticism go hand in hand; they are inseparable; they are opposite sides of the same coin. Hence all Muslims are ultimately untrustworthy, un-Australian. Islam itself is a religion that ultimately supports, if not condones, fanaticism and all its ancillaries – like terrorism, extremism and fundamentalism.

The average non-Muslim Australian is struggling hard to understand Islam and Muslims. That many are making a sincere effort to do so is to their credit and will benefit not only them but Muslims as well, by helping to dispel the many layers of myth, misrepresentation and stereotyping that cover, hide and distort Islam.

At this critical juncture what we need is clarity and leadership from the PM, but I’ll be happy to settle for clarity and statesmanship at the least. Clarity because in these very confusing and fearmongering times we all need to be cautious and self-critical about what we say and think and do. Clear and unambiguous messages must be telegraphed to those around us, explaining situations and positions and circumstances to inform the general public and not to bewilder it.

We will not accept lightly any rhetoric that smacks of another ungenerous Tampa issue nor another untrue "children overboard" incident.