I keep reading that there is no condemnation here or there by the Muslim community. Today is Friday. Just Wednesday gone, a meeting/conference took place here in Sydney, in Lakemba, where the Australian media was present in force. And it was actually reported on both 2GB as well as 2UE broadcasting radio stations hot of the press as they say. The Muslim representative was none other than the grand mufti himself, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed,
Well at last. Good to see the Grand Mufti making a statement. Dunno if doing it in Arabic is really the right thing to do, but I won't get pissy about that.
whom I know very well on a personal level.
Um. All righty then.
From that article:
"The statement said: “As we have repeatedly preached in private and in public in Arabic and in English, the horrors conducted overseas in the name of religion are crimes against humanity and sins against God.
“The recent so-called fatwa from overseas, making reference to Australia as a target, has no religious authority and must be rejected.
“The noble Qur’an states clearly that whoever kills a person it is as if he has killed all of humanity. And whoever saves the life of a person is as if he save all of humanity.”
The grand mufti also called for calm in the community, and said the sanctity of life was paramount in Islam."
Nice statement. Kinda does not jell with reality though. I for one had not heard that "repeatedly preached", but am willing to take him for his word. I just don't know how the "no killing" part can be true though, considering the murderous rampage that has been happening across the globe, although primarily in the middle east, over the last 20 years. But as I said, I am happy to take what he said as a clear statement of condemnation. But, then……to further muddy the waters, today in the Age I read,
"Mustafa Abu Yusuf, a spokesman for the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah Association of Australia (ASWJ), claimed the actions of Islamic State [also known as ISIL] were being "rammed down our throats" in a bid to paint fundamentalist Muslims as potential terrorists and curb civil freedoms."
He went on to say,
""The beheadings, it's an abhorrent act, don't misunderstand me. But what about the British in Malaya in the 1950s? They used to have soldiers decapitate Malayan heads ... or what about the torture and prisoner abuse by the Americans at Abu Ghraib prison?" he said."
..and the article also reported.
"The Crossroads conference has drawn attention for its list of controversial keynote speakers, including Yvonne Ridley, a British journalist who converted to Islam after she was kidnapped by the Taliban. Ms Ridley is known for her outspoken views and is alleged to have referred to suicide bombings as "martyrdom operations"."
So once again I am left, as an observer of the situation, with mixed messages. "It's bad but sometimes it's good" kind of message.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/b...mic-conference-organiser-20140926-10mps4.html