ISIS has nothing to do with Islam: Australian Muslim leader
In the wake of another act perpetrated by extremists claiming to represent Islam, prominent Australian Muslim leader Jamal Rifi says his community is “drowning in a sea of hate,” noting that those extremists who were behind the attacks in Paris, and other acts of terror, are “the enemy of Islam.”
Dr Rifi says the ISIS deadly attacks in Paris will test Australia, but that it’s time to come together “united in our condemnation, standing together to defeat this global terrorist organization”.
“It’s like we are drowning in a sea of hate and every time we get our heads above water, something else happens to pull us down,” he said.
He also said the extremists behind the attacks in Paris, and other acts of terror, “are only Islamic by name”.
The comments came as Attorney-General George Brandis warned against alienating the Muslim community following the deadly assault on Paris, which has left at least 130 people dead, and amid calls from some for Australia to stop accepting Middle Eastern refugees.
“They (ISIS) have nothing to do with Islam – as a matter of fact they are the enemy of Islam and they have killed more Muslims than non-Muslim civilians,” Rifi said.
“(I am) angry for the fact that there has been a failure to prevent this terrible event from happening.”
From his side, Australia’s Grand Mufti Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed focused instead on what he labelled causative factors such as racism, Islamophobia and “duplicitous” foreign policy.
In a statement, he said “These recent incidents highlight the fact that current strategies to deal with the threat of terrorism are not working.”
Hussain Nadim, a PhD candidate at the Department of Government and International Relations agreed the only way to defeat ISIS is through its internal mechanisms.
“The only way that such groups could be tackled and Islam could have its own enlightenment is through its internal mechanisms.
“The solution to the problem that we see today in the form of the Paris or Sydney attacks is allowing Muslims to take the lead against ISIS and other extremism.”
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