The Herald Sun lets “Muslim leaders have their say”

While the radicalisation and acts of violence can’t be ignored, Melbourne’s Islamic leaders say this cannot be tackled by Islamophobia.

We spoke with three Melbourne community leaders, representing different faces of Islam, for their views.

ADEL SALMAN

ISLAMIC COUNCIL OF VICTORIA, VICE PRESIDENT

FROM watching travel bans and rampant Islamophobia overseas to sharia law “hysteria” in Australia, Adel Salman says his religion is “under siege”.

“The debate about Islam has become so febrile, so strident that people just start talking over each other,” the vice president of the Islamic Council of Victoria said.

“Our position as citizens is under threat, our faith is maligned and we are forced to defend the actions of other Muslims.”

As a community leader, Mr Salman said it was important for him to condemn the actions of those who invoked Islam for acts of violence and terror.

“I think the non-Muslim population almost expects that from us, to keep reassuring them that this has nothing to do with the faith — and it doesn’t,” Mr Salman said.

“But we don’t just want to be putting out fires.

“We need to move past that stage so people don’t need constant reassurance and Muslims can be recognised as an integral part of Australia.”

One area where nuanced understanding was needed was sharia law, he said.

“There are so many falsehoods out there about sharia law — just saying the words scares people, but it covers so many different things,” Mr Salman said.

I have a big fat book, its called the ‘Umdat al Salik’, otherwise known as the “Reliance of the Traveler’. Its the Sharia law book certified from Al Azhar, Salman. I can read, and I can read it to you just to clear up “misunderstandings”.

“When people think of sharia law they think of the Hudud punishments — the Islamic criminal code. But these will never be applied in Australia, they will not be considered to be applied in Australia and we do not expect them to be applied in Australia.”

You lying f*kc! Would you  tell your 9-year old daughter she can only get a little bit pregnant when you rape her?

He said he practised sharia law in his own life by praying five times a day and abiding by the Islamic rites for things such as marriage and burial — and this did not conflict with Australian law.

“There are many Australian Muslims who love this country and don’t have a divided loyalty,” he said.

“I am faithful, devout Muslim and still want nothing but the best for Australia.”

That would be shari’a. WTF is he kidding?

SHAKIRA HUSSEIN

UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE’S NATIONAL CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES

FOR Shakira Hussein, being a Muslim community leader is about building resilience.

“Unfortunately we will always be blamed for something so this is about ensuring that it doesn’t have a devastating impact on Muslim people,” she said.

“We need to provide support so people across different generations don’t feel isolated by the negative perceptions of our faith.”

While she was quick to condemn any act of violence, she said it was frustrating to be expected to respond as though “we are responsible for the crimes”.

“The default reaction from leaders is that ‘this doesn’t represent us’ but I think that has reached a point where it is counter-productive,” she said.

Dr Hussein, a writer and researcher at the University of Melbourne’s National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies, said Muslim leaders and the community also needed to look internally.

“We should not only be reacting to things that have happened, we should be having conversations between ourselves and discussing issues such as women’s issues and sexuality such as supporting young LGBTQI people,” Dr Hussein said.

“We can forget the issues women face and we shouldn’t lose sight of that.

“We should be discussing things such as wearing hijabs — some see it as a privilege to wear and part of their culture, others say you are ‘condemning your sisters to this’.”

Dr Hussein said Donald Trump’s victory in the US and the resurgence of Pauline Hanson was a worrying sign that extreme, divisive views — particularly about Islam — were becoming more “acceptable” as the mainstream.

“The alt-right can’t be regarded as a fringe group anymore.”

It was now more important to foster understanding and empathy, she said.

“If there is one thing I could challenge it is the perception that Islam is inherently violent — it is actually inherently nonviolent,” she said.

SYED WADOOD JANUD

IMAM OF THE AHMADIYYA MUSLIM COMMUNITY VICTORIA & TASMANIA

POLITICAL leaders promoting anti-Islamic rhetoric, such as travel bans, are playing right into the hands of terrorists, Imam Syed Wadood Janud says.

Imam Janud — who leads the Bait-ul-Salam mosque in Langwarrin — said unity between different beliefs was important in today’s heated political and religious climate.

“By promoting Islamophobia in the shape of a ‘Muslim Ban’ in the USA or the anti-Muslim rhetoric in Australia, they are only playing into the hands of the terrorists whose sole purpose is to divide us,” he said.

“Our leaders need to transcend this rhetoric and be examples of unity rather than division.”

Imam Janud said Islamophobia helped fuel radicalisation, and his Ahmaddiyya community was disseminating “Muslims for Peace” flyers to promote unity and understanding.

Differing from the wider Muslim community, the Ahmaddiyya community is a revival movement within Islam who believe the metaphorical second coming of Jesus was Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, and are united under his fifth successor His Holiness Hazret Mirza Masroor Ahmad.

The group also has regular volunteers for events such as Clean Up Australia Day and the Red Cross Appeal, and proudly take part in the Australia Day march.

September 11, 2001 was a shocking moment in history but it was also a personal turning point for Imam Janud, who was only 12 at the time.

“Overnight, a religion I had proudly practised my whole life was associated with terrorism and murder,” he said of the aftermath of the al-Qaeda terror attack, which killed almost 3000 people, injured thousands more and stunned the world.

If an act of violence was linked to Islam, Imam Janud said it was his duty to speak out against it.

“I feel like I need to step in and say ‘this is not what we are about’. It is hurtful to see the name of Islam used in this way but the atrocities of these criminals do not represent us.”

“Thousands of Muslims have marched, around the world, for peace.”