Muslim leaders are boycotting Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s proposed round table with Islamic leaders after he demanded they give him more information on terror suspects.
The Australian National Imams Council and Australian Federation of Islamic Councils have issued a joint statement declaring they would refuse to meet with the PM, who floated the idea of discussing ways to stop extremist violence.
The statement, co-signed by the Grand Mufti Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed and ANIC president Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman, slammed his demand last week for Muslim leaders to be aware of extremists in their mosques.
Muslim leaders (Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman pictured) are boycotting Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s proposed round table with Islamic leaders to discuss Islamic extremism
The statement, co-signed by the Grand Mufti Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed (pictured) slammed his demand last week for Muslim leaders to be aware of extremists in their mosques
It was also backed by the Islamic councils of Victoria and Queensland and the Board of Imams Victoria.
‘Many in the Muslim community including the undersigned are deeply concerned and disappointed with statements made by senior government ministers and the Prime Minister in the recent past which infer that the community is collectively culpable for the criminal actions of individuals and should be doing more to prevent such acts of violence,’ it said.
Last week, the Prime Minister visited Melbourne’s Pellegrini’s Expresso Bar, near where cafe owner Sisto Malaspina was stabbed to death by Somali-born terrorist Hassan Khalif Shire Ali.
The Prime Minister told journalists Muslim leaders needed to be aware of who prayed at their mosques and ensured ‘they don’t allow these wolves in’.
In their statement, the Sunni Muslim leaders accused Mr Morrison of marginalising Muslims.
‘These statements have achieved nothing to address underlying issues, but rather, have alienated large segments of the Muslim community,’ they said.
‘In order to have a meaningful meeting that will result in positive outcomes, attendees must be confident that their views and concerns will be genuinely respected and that such a forum will not be used to emphasise the very sentiments that the Muslim community consider to be invalid and divisive.’
The nine Muslim signatories of the statement, who were all men, demanded the Prime Minister ‘re-schedule’ the proposed round table to ‘allow for a concrete agenda and mutually-acceptable objectives’.
The Prime Minister visited Melbourne’s Pellegrini’s Express Bar, near where cafe owner Sisto Malaspina was stabbed to death by Somali-born terrorist Hassan Khalif Shire Ali (pictured)
The Prime Minister (pictured) told journalists in Melbourne Muslim leaders needed to be aware of who prayed at their mosques and ensured ‘they don’t allow these wolves in’
The Muslim signatories of the statement demanded the Prime Minister ‘re-schedule’ the proposed round table to ‘allow for a concrete agenda and mutually-acceptable objectives’