AFIC President Ikebal Patel has today denied a report in Fairfax newspapers which claimed AFIC had sacked the sheik from the position of mufti, and abolished the position. "No, we haven't sacked the mufti ... (Sheik Hilali) is still the mufti," Mr Patel told Sky News this morning.I have news for Mr Patel: no we're not scoffing, that is what we are afraid of. That the Sheik's views are not held by a Lunatic Fringe, but a sizeable proportion of the Islamic community here, including most of the Clerics.
He said the report, which claimed AFIC had severed all ties with Sheik Hilali, 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," he said.
...
"I will probably be scoffed at when I say this, but he's probably one of the most moderate of the imams in Australia..."
Intermittent postings from Canberra, Australia on Software Development, Space, Politics, and Interesting URLs.
And of course, Brains...
Pages
▼
Sunday 8 April 2007
Not Reassuring
From The Australian, about the "Cat's Meat" Mufti, the Thick Sheik, Sheik Taj al Din al Hilali:
2 comments:
Anonymous commenters - please add a signature (doesn't have to be your real name) on each post of yours. Anne O'Namus, Norm D. Ploom, Angry from Kent, Demosthenes, or even your real initials, it doesn't matter.
Commenters are expected to be polite to each other, but the same standard doesn't apply to comments regarding me.
Australian commenters are very very strongly advised to publish anonymously. Sydney alone has more defamation actions than the entire USA and UK. Nearly double that of the UK in fact.
As Google does not reliably inform me that a comment has been posted, and I have no control over first publication, I assert that all comments are innocently disseminated under the NSW DEFAMATION ACT 2005 - SECT 32 and similar acts.
If he were 'moderate' and representational of the greater part of the islamic community, that would be cause for concern, Zoe. However, I don't believe for a second he is. He's just a half-wit and an embarrassment to the faith.
ReplyDeleteHe's certainly nothing like the Islamic PhD students I work with every day. By coincidence, 3 of the 5 PhD students my supervisor has under his wing are Muslim. None of us were born in Australia, and I'm the only Aussie. Though even I have dual citizenship...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the interesting discussions I have with the guy from the Saudi Space Institute about Space Ops are only matched by our discussions about Religion.
He is tolerant enough to treat a woman as his equal. He's super-tolerant in that I make no apology for having done work for the IDF. I haven't told him about my medical history though, his tolerance has already exceeded all reasonable expectations.
Maybe I'm being Racist, or Xenophobic, but I don't think so. He's a likeable guy, I respect him, and hope to be as tolerant as he is.
And as the Mufti is not. Though even there, he's honest.
I've seen no evidence from the Lebanese Muslim community around Lakemba that the Sheik is not a moderate, and less than is convincing from other areas.