http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/19/1077072780941.html
By Cynthia Banham and Freya Petersen February 20, 2004
The Australian Federal Police has been asked to examine the conduct of the country’s most senior Muslim leader, Sheik Taj el-Din Al Hilaly, on a recent trip to Lebanon, where he reportedly called for a jihad against Israel.
But as the Prime Minister, John Howard, admonished the Grand Mufti, the Muslim leader was interviewed on SBS radio where he denied having called for a jihad, or holy war.
A spokesman for the Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, said the Government had ensured the Federal Police would look into the activities of Sheik Al Hilaly – who is an Australian citizen – while overseas. It was then up to the AFP to decide whether to instigate a formal investigation.
Whether any action would be taken against Sheik Al Hilaly would depend in part on whether he had met the military wing of Hezbollah – listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia – or the political wing, which is not.
“Meeting Hezbollah is probably not the most prudent thing to do,” Mr Ruddock’s spokesman said. “If his comments about violence are as reported, that would be of concern.”
Mr Howard said if the reports of Sheik Al Hilaly’s comments were untrue, he had an opportunity to repudiate them.
“But if they have been made he deserves to be unconditionally condemned,” Mr Howard said. “Incitement to jihad against the state of Israel is utterly unacceptable coming from the leader of any community in this country.”
A spokesman for the Opposition Leader, Mark Latham, said any mention of jihad in relation to Israel or any country was “unacceptable and inappropriate”.
Sheik Al Hilaly, who is still in Egypt, last night went on SBS radio’s Arabic language program.
The journalist Majida Abboud-Saab, who interviewed Sheik Al Hilaly in Arabic, said he had denied calling for a jihad in Lebanon this week and that “he didn’t support suicide bombing . . . in no circumstances”.
Ms Abboud-Saab said Sheik Al Hilaly affirmed his support for Hezbollah but said he did not intend to incite hatred towards the West. His trip to Lebanon was for “charitable” purposes.
The mufti’s Sydney spokesman, Keysar Trad, said the source of yesterday’s Australian media reports – the Middle East Media Research Institute – was “a right-wing think tank with connections to the Israeli lobby and military intelligence”.
The president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Dr Ameer Ali, said Sheik Al Hilaly “did not hold such radical views”, being a “very moderate Islamic leader”.
See Also:
Unofficial Transcript of Sheikh Taj’s Interview with SBS Arabic Radio Thur 19 Feb 2004.
Greetings.Reporter: You must have heard what was reported about you.Mufty: Firstly when we take a stand or make a statement or an opinion, we will stand behind it and not fear any blame in the cause of God. Our visit was to perform the pilgrimage and such trips must be followed by good works. We wanted to translate these works into action and I made a visit to Lebanon and Egypt.Reporter: What you said about the proscription of Hizbullah.Mufty: I continue to disagree with the government on this matter, Hizbullah are not terrorists, they did not kill any American or threaten anyEuropean or Australian they only fought the transgressing Israeli power. But I did not call for a Jihad, I went to Lebanon to give my will to the trustees of a mosque in Tripoli as I would like to be buried in one of the blessed plots of land after I die ( he named three places) and I visited the charities and humanitarian orgs that look after orphans, the elderly and the handicapped all of which supported by UNESCO, the Red Cross and Red Crescent. …Reporter: Did you call for hatred of the West … ?Mufty: The West no, but I admit that I feel that America has a war against Arabs, however, I did not call for Jihad or any violence, this is untrue. I was honoured to visit all the religious leaders, including the national Mufty Dr. Kabbany and the Mufty of Tyre and His Eminence Hasan Nasrallah and I was honoured to meet him. He has proved to be the only man who is respected by Israel after his success with the initiative that led to the exchange of the prisoners with Israel. This blessed initiative is the best means to achieve peace with Israel.I did not call for a holy or a wretched war, there is no substance to these allegations. After visiting the handicapped and disabled, we found that the only group respected by Israel is Hizbullah and they succeeded in the negotiations through the intervention of Germany.Reporter: have you supported martyrdom missions?Mufty: In this visit in particular, I did not say any such thing, this is untrue. Had I said it I would stand behind it. What I have said that regarding Hizbullah as a terrorist organisation is an American decision is something that is untrue ….To say that I called for suicide missions is untrue and is something that is stirred up by Zionist organisations.Reporter: about Captain Cook and the discovery of Australia?This is misrepresentaiton and not what I said, I said that there were some visits and explorers from the kingdom of Mulaku in Indonesia had visited Australia and left because at that time they felt that there was not enough water to sustain large scale migration. Some of their graves are still present. They came hundreds of years before cook.. They were mere visits.Reporter: Why are controversies about you raised when you are overseas is it because of (she sited a couple of reasons which he agreed to)?Mufty: They do not want any person to raise his head against Zionist and American hegemony and these people are clients for these. We certify that in our visit to Southern Lebanon that dialogue produced positive results that brought happiness to Arabic and Israeli families (through the exchange of prisoners). visiting the handicapped is not terrorism. …Thank you….See Also:
Selective MEMRI – The Middle East Media Research Institute, is it an Israeli propaganda project?
Brian Whitaker The Guardian, Monday August 12, 2002 http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,773258,00.html Brian Whitaker investigates whether the ‘independent’ media institute that translates the Arabic newspapers is quite what it seems.
See Also:
Media Release: AFIC deplores alleged call for Jihad
Feb 19 2004
The President of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), Dr Ameer Ali said that he was dismayed by media reports quoting Mufti Tajuddin El Hilaly allegedly calling for jihad against Israel and supporting suicide bombings.
Dr Ali said that while he had not personally spoken to the Mufti about the media reports, he knew that the Mufti did not hold such radical views and was not known to incite violence. He added that he had previously spoken to the Mufti about these matters and he had categorically ruled that any act that targeted innocent victims and civilians was condemned in Islam as were all acts of violence and terrorism.
Dr Ali added that most Muslim and Arab Australians did not agree with the Australian Government