Oct 11 2001 – Islamic community leaders in Melbourne yesterday condemned the call for Muslims worldwide to declare a holy war, saying Australians Muslims would not be swayed by violent rhetoric.
Sheik Fehmi El-Imam, secretary of the Board of Imams, said Melbourne Muslims stood united against any form of holy war or terrorism.
“They won’t be influenced by the message. They will repudiate the message immediately,” Sheik Fehmi said. “We have no room here for calling for jihad or making terrorist acts.”
Sheik Fehmi said hatred of the US would bring only havoc and misery to Muslims. “It’s not going to bring us any goodness at all and because of that, we’re not interested in doing this sort of thing in Australia.”
Sheik Fehmi reiterated the message he has frequently voiced since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States – that terrorism was un-Islamic and anathema to Muslim Australians.
“We are going to spread peace and have a peaceful relationship with whoever is living with us in this part of the world,” he said.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said any individual Muslims who supported alQaeda’s call were “incredibly unwise” and talking “foolishly”.
On the election trail in Ballarat, Prime Minister John Howard called for greater unity and tolerance, saying Muslims were as shocked by the terrorist attacks on the US as people of any faith. “The terrorists will have won if we practise intolerance, if we practise discrimination.”
Local Muslim leaders also denounced a caller on Melbourne talkback radio yesterday who said he would declare “jihad” in Australia if the government committed troops to the US-led attacks on Afghanistan.
Samir Mohtadi, president of the Islamic Information and Services Network of Australasia, said he was explaining that Islam was a peaceful faith to young people at universities and mosques.
There might be a few young “hotheads” within the Muslim community but there were no terrorists, Mr Mohtadi said.
Sheik Fehmi said the talkback caller, who identified himself as “Ahmad”, did not speak for Muslims.
“If this man wanted to come to a mosque and declare his attitude, everybody would jump at him,” he said. “He’s not a responsible man, he’s not responsible for any organisation, he’s just one of the mob.”
Mr Mohtadi and Sheik Fehmi said the Islamic community would report to police anyone who showed signs of being influenced by terrorist calls for holy war.
Such extremist messages, which follow attacks on mosques and Muslims around Australia after September 11, were the last thing the Islamic community needed, Mr Mohtadi said. — with AAP