Quote:


Just goes to show how 'moderate' Muslims really are, hey?

Quote:


Sh1t. The 'criminal dregs' of 'white society' won't be too happy about that.

Quote:


Even the average-joe Muslim will be happy about this.

What my hero says about it


Imams out of touch with Australia, says PM

March 26, 2007

AUSTRALIA'S high-ranking Islamic clerics have shown they are out of touch with the mainstream by allowing Sheik Taj al-Din al-Hilali to remain as spiritual leader, says Prime Minister John Howard.
Mr Howard said today that while the imams had the right to appoint whoever they wanted as mufti, they had shown they were out of touch with mainstream Australia by re-endorsing a man who compared women to uncovered meat.

"They're exercising their right, it's not our power or right to appoint religious leaders. But I think they're doing their community damage," Mr Howard said on Sky News.

"I remain very strongly of the view that they're very much out of touch with community sentiment."

About 60 imams decided yesterday to reinstate Sheik Hilali as Australia's mufti for at least the next three months, before deciding on the future of the role.

Sheik Hilali caused uproar last year when he compared women to "uncovered meat".

He then disparaged Australia's convict heritage, saying Muslims had more right to be in Australia than those brought here in chains.

"The remarks he made about women, the remarks he made in Egypt about who's higher up in the hierarchy of Australian-ness and all those sorts of things, his reference to convicts, his reference to who is more entitled to call themselves Australians - all of those things were totally out of touch with mainstream Australian sentiment," Mr Howard said.

"And all I can say is the failure of the community to do something more decisive about this is damaging the image of Islamic Australians as part of our community."

Mr Howard said he did not have a view on who should be mufti, just as he did not say who should be the Catholic archbishop of Melbourne or the Anglican archbishop of Sydney.

"That's a matter for the religious grouping," he said.

"But I can express a view as to what I think the impact will be - and I think the impact of this decision will be extremely negative."



How good is that ???

Thanks zoso. Kevin Rudd said a very similar thing. Must be a common feeling amongst most people.
How can they dump him though, he has said nothing against the korans teachings ?

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/sheik-up-as-al-hilaly-axed/2007/04/07/1175366528528.html

CONTROVERSIAL Muslim leader Sheik Taj el-Din al Hilaly has been sacked by the peak Islamic body and the role of mufti has been abolished.

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), which employed the mufti for more than 15 years, has severed all ties with him.

But the sheik has retaliated by registering the title of mufti for himself and has vowed to carry on speaking on behalf of the Muslim community - even though no organisation wants him to represent them.

The move comes as the Australian Federal Police widens its probe into allegations that the sheik gave charity funds to supporters of the al-Qaeda and Hezbollah terrorist groups.

ANIC spokesman Mohamad Abdalla said Sheik al Hilaly would not be the mufti once his three-month grace period ended. He said 39 of the 50 clerics who attended the ANIC conference last month voted against reappointing him.

* In Islam there is no hierarchy such as the Vatican system for Catholics.

* Muslim communities around the world democratically elect a mufti based on:

- religious qualification;

- credibility; and

- uprightness.

* A mufti does not have absolute authority and acts as a servant of the community.

* There is no fixed term.

not sacked - just not payed any more

Islamic council denies sacking mufti

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Islamic-council-denies-sacking-mufti/2007/04...

Controversial Muslim cleric Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali is still the mufti, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) says.

AFIC President Ikebal Patel has denied a media report which claimed AFIC had sacked the sheik from the position of mufti, and abolished the position.

"No, we haven't sacked the mufti ... (Sheik Alhilali) is still the mufti," Mr Patel told Sky News on Sunday morning.

He said the report, which claimed AFIC had severed all ties with Sheik Alhilali, could be discounted.

However, he confirmed the sheik's pay had been suspended some time last year.

"The position of mufti itself is very much there and the ... incumbent, while not being paid for the position, is still the holder of the position."

Mr Patel said it was up to the Australian National Imams Council to decide the fate of the mufti, and he expected a decision to be made by the end of June.

Mr Patel said he had some issues with Sheik Alhilali's term as mufti, which included controversial comments likening young women to meat, but believed the sheik was the best man for the job.

"He is definitely one of the most knowledgeable, most qualified in Australia, but having said that, if he wants to remain mufti then there would have to be some very strict guidelines that would have to be placed," he said.

"He might need some resources in terms of having people who can speak English (to) articulate his thoughts clearly, so there's no excuse ever put forward that he was misrepresented.

"I will probably be scoffed at when I say this, but he's probably one of the most moderate of the imams in Australia, but he certainly doesn't bring that out in his approaches with the medi

Sheik Alhilali still the mufti: AFIC http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Sheik-Alhilali-still-the-mufti-AFIC/2007/04/...

Following AFIC's denial, opponents of the sheik were still calling for his head.

Great.

So now Hilaly's out of the way, does that mean that we should simply ignore the other mufti's around Australia who support his views? 

I do recall at the time of Hilaly's 'covered meat' comments another well-known Australian Muslim leader supporting Hilaly's views.