A Muslim imam who campaigns against radical Islam has been forced into hiding after his home was targeted and his car keyed with the letters ISIS.
Adelaide’s Sheikh Mohammad Tawhidi, who preaches messages of peace, returned home this week to find his car emblazoned with the symbol for the Islamic State militant group.
Imam Tawhidi, 34, told Daily Mail Australia on Friday the car windscreen was smashed with a rock, the roof damaged, the letters ‘ISIS’ scrawled on both the bonnet and right side of the car, and chemicals poured into the engine.
Adelaide’s Sheikh Mohammad Tawhidi, who preaches messages of peace, returned home this week to find his car emblazoned with the symbol for the Islamic State militant group
Imam Tawhidi, 34, told Daily Mail Australia on Friday the car windscreen was smashed with a rock, the roof damaged, the letters ‘ISIS’ scrawled on both the bonnet and right side of the car
He said his home alarm was going off, but the vandals were unable to get inside because he recently installed $30,000 iron curtains around the house.
The Imam, who emigrated from Iraq when he was 12, has previously been targeted by hardline Muslims for condemning extremism and Sharia Law.
He believed the vandals were sending him a message to stay quiet.
Imam Tawhidi said the vandalism was the most recent in a string of threats and attacks he was subjected to by radical Muslims.
‘It was radical Muslims definitely, nobody other than them would do this to me,’ he said.
‘I don’t think it’s ISIS directly, I think it’s their sympathisers. They might do it to seem heroic in front of the extremists.’
Imam Tawhidi returned home this week to find his car, which was outside his home, destroyed
The interior of his car was also destroyed, his watch and sunglasses were stolen from the car
Crime Scene Investigation police were called to the home this week, where they initiated an investigation
Imam Tawhidi revealed he received death threats from extremists who wanted to behead him
Imam Tawhidi revealed he received death threats from extremists who wanted to behead him.
Haid he believed the vandals were threatening him so he would stop speaking out against hardline Islam.
‘I know they’re trying to silence me, they tried silencing me with money and I didn’t take it. They tried intimidating me, it didn’t work,’ he said.
Imam Tawhidi said the attack, paired with systematic death threats, left him fearing for his safety.
He felt he had no other choice but to flee Adelaide now his critics knew where he lived.
‘I am literally going into hiding because of what’s happening. I will be moving out of Adelaide to live in a different town. I need to do it for my safety,’ he said.
‘It means I’ll never be going out in public again.’
He felt he had no other choice but to flee Adelaide now his critics knew where he lived
‘There are radical Muslims that work in government departments, licensing centres that hold my details. Banks as well. They are everywhere,’ he said
While Imam Tawhidi did not know how the attackers found his house and car, he feared his privacy had been compromised.
‘There are radical Muslims that work in government departments, licensing centres that hold my details. Banks as well. They are everywhere,’ he said.
While he feared for his life, he refused to stay silent.
‘I will continue exposing the corruption without hiding the truth,’ he said.
‘This is a battle I’m going to win. The radicals will not win.’
Imam Tawhidi said he was disgusted Australia descended into a haven for radicals.
‘It’s sad that Australia has become like this, it wasn’t like this when we moved here,’ he said.
‘The country allows (radicals) to operate with minimal criticism.’
‘I will continue exposing the corruption without hiding the truth,’ he said. ‘This is a battle I’m going to win. The radicals will not win.’
He said there were more radical Muslims in Australia than people thought, and their power shouldn’t be underestimated.
‘They’re very powerful, Australia has made them powerful,’ he said.
Imam Tawhidi said threats made against him online were not uncommon, but he said the abuse was escalating.
‘A guy in Perth started a ‘knock out Tawhidi challenge’ he said.
‘He said he’d give $100 to whoever could punch me.
‘In March I was attacked, and there’s an investigation underway.’
‘A guy in Perth started a ‘knock out Tawhidi’ challenge’. He said he’d give $100 to whoever could punch me.’
The Adelaide based imam revealed in July people threatened to shoot him on the street.
He said a $5,000 bounty was put on his head in April, with one man branding him an ‘infidel’ and publicly calling for his beheading.
Imam Tawhidi sparked controversy earlier this year when he said he only came to Australia ‘because it was a non-Muslim country’.
‘If we knew after 30 years we are going to have burqas running around and mosques being erected on every corner and people proposing sharia law against democracy in this country… we wouldn’t have come,’ he said.
In April, he said all Muslim schools in Australia were a danger to the country.
‘These schools do exist, they are a problem and they need to be either shut down or changed completely,’ he said.
Retribution from the Muslim community was swift.
Police were forced to escort him into hiding shortly after he made the comments because he claimed he was threatened with violence.