LRPV
11-01-2006, 09:48 PM
Risk of race riot if Hilali stays
Richard Kerbaj and Imre Salusinszky November 02, 2006
TAJ Din al-Hilali will not relinquish his grip on the nation's largest mosque, according to one of his former advisers, who has warned the cleric's determination to hold on to power could lead to sectarian "violence" and rioting among rival Muslims.
Sydney Muslim leader Jamal Rifi, a long-time friend of Sheik Hilali, said the imam had to stand aside completely as the spiritual leader at Lakemba Mosque or risk creating racial riots "a la France". "It's going to cause racial tension, much bigger than what we had over the Cronulla riots and also religious, sectarian (wars)," Dr Rifi said yesterday, as the besieged imam returned to his community after two nights in hospital. "He should retire gracefully, peacefully and he needs to understand that we cannot move forward with him at the helm."
Dr Rifi, who earlier this week turned on his friend and demanded he quit over the crisis caused by a Ramadan sermon blaming women for rape, will ask Sheik Hilali for a meeting to talk about his fears.
The furore over Sheik Hilali erupted last Thursday when The Australian revealed details of a sermon he gave last month during Ramadan in which the 65-year-old appeared to joke about the Sydney gang rapes and suggest the attackers were not entirely to blame.
Dr Rifi said he was worried that the demonstration in support of Sheik Hilali that is being planned for the weekend would empower the cleric to stay on.
He also feared that Muslim extremists would exploit the controversy over Sheik Hilali to advance their own anti-Western agendas and attempt to capture more followers by telling them the public's criticism of the senior cleric was an attack on Islam.
"Extremists will use this to say that this is an attack on Islam and they will become more militant, more vocal," Dr Rifi said.
But it is believed that Sheik Hilali will refuse to retire from his position because he would regard that as a victory for his ideological opponents at Sydney's Muslim group al-Ahbash, also known as the Islamic Charity Projects Association.
Sheik Hilali has been a longtime rival of the association and has accused them of being "worse than Zionists" in a Arabic radio interview obtained by The Australian.
Sheik Hilali also says that Muslim men accused of plotting terrorist attacks on Australian soil last November were victims of inaccurate intelligence and were caught out engaging in innocent "chitchat".
A statement was yesterday issued by a group of imams and preachers through the Lebanese Muslim Association warning that further publicity about Sheik Hilali's comments would "only incite hatred towards Muslims".
NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam has vowed to impose unprecedented sanctions on the sheik and Lakemba Mosque if he is elected premier in March.
In a letter to NSW Premier Morris Iemma that will be released today, but has been obtained by The Australian, Mr Debnam calls for "bipartisan denunciation" of the sheik.
He says that, in addition to withdrawing $200,000 in annual state government funding from the mosque, he would ensure that "there will be no official representation by or on behalf of the premier or the NSW government at any functions at the Lakemba Mosque as long as Sheik Hilali remains the mufti".
Mr Debnam challenges Mr Iemma to match the commitment.
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Richard Kerbaj and Imre Salusinszky November 02, 2006
TAJ Din al-Hilali will not relinquish his grip on the nation's largest mosque, according to one of his former advisers, who has warned the cleric's determination to hold on to power could lead to sectarian "violence" and rioting among rival Muslims.
Sydney Muslim leader Jamal Rifi, a long-time friend of Sheik Hilali, said the imam had to stand aside completely as the spiritual leader at Lakemba Mosque or risk creating racial riots "a la France". "It's going to cause racial tension, much bigger than what we had over the Cronulla riots and also religious, sectarian (wars)," Dr Rifi said yesterday, as the besieged imam returned to his community after two nights in hospital. "He should retire gracefully, peacefully and he needs to understand that we cannot move forward with him at the helm."
Dr Rifi, who earlier this week turned on his friend and demanded he quit over the crisis caused by a Ramadan sermon blaming women for rape, will ask Sheik Hilali for a meeting to talk about his fears.
The furore over Sheik Hilali erupted last Thursday when The Australian revealed details of a sermon he gave last month during Ramadan in which the 65-year-old appeared to joke about the Sydney gang rapes and suggest the attackers were not entirely to blame.
Dr Rifi said he was worried that the demonstration in support of Sheik Hilali that is being planned for the weekend would empower the cleric to stay on.
He also feared that Muslim extremists would exploit the controversy over Sheik Hilali to advance their own anti-Western agendas and attempt to capture more followers by telling them the public's criticism of the senior cleric was an attack on Islam.
"Extremists will use this to say that this is an attack on Islam and they will become more militant, more vocal," Dr Rifi said.
But it is believed that Sheik Hilali will refuse to retire from his position because he would regard that as a victory for his ideological opponents at Sydney's Muslim group al-Ahbash, also known as the Islamic Charity Projects Association.
Sheik Hilali has been a longtime rival of the association and has accused them of being "worse than Zionists" in a Arabic radio interview obtained by The Australian.
Sheik Hilali also says that Muslim men accused of plotting terrorist attacks on Australian soil last November were victims of inaccurate intelligence and were caught out engaging in innocent "chitchat".
A statement was yesterday issued by a group of imams and preachers through the Lebanese Muslim Association warning that further publicity about Sheik Hilali's comments would "only incite hatred towards Muslims".
NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam has vowed to impose unprecedented sanctions on the sheik and Lakemba Mosque if he is elected premier in March.
In a letter to NSW Premier Morris Iemma that will be released today, but has been obtained by The Australian, Mr Debnam calls for "bipartisan denunciation" of the sheik.
He says that, in addition to withdrawing $200,000 in annual state government funding from the mosque, he would ensure that "there will be no official representation by or on behalf of the premier or the NSW government at any functions at the Lakemba Mosque as long as Sheik Hilali remains the mufti".
Mr Debnam challenges Mr Iemma to match the commitment.
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