We’re constantly reassured that “the vast majority” of Muslims in the West are “moderate”. So, what to make of it when peak Muslim spokespeople and organisations keep saying and doing things that don’t seem that moderate at all?
Whether it’s Sheikh Hilaly comparing women to “uncovered meat”, or a Sydney Islamic centre flying in a cleric who advocates “death as a compassionate sentence for homosexuals”, or, indeed, an Australian Muslim cleric who preached that AIDS is Allah’s punishment for “unlawful” sex, too many of Australia’s leading Muslims and Islamic organisations seem far from “moderate”. Let’s be clear: these aren’t fringe nutters, these are the likes of the Grand Mufti, peak Muslim bodies, and clerics who get to dine with the prime minister.
Now, another “peak Islamic body” has invited the Taliban to speak at an Australian event.
Australia’s peak Islamic body has invited two members of the Taliban to appear in a live webinar on Saturday, in a move that has been condemned by Afghan refugees and Australian veterans.
The invitees include longtime Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, who failed to rule out a return to stonings and public executions under Afghanistan’s new leadership, and senior Taliban figure Sayed Abdul Basir Sabiri.
The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils said it had brought together a “stellar panel of speakers”.
Others are not quite star-struck.
Refugee advocate Sitarah Mohammadi, a member of Afghanistan’s long-persecuted Hazara minority, said she found it “horrifying” the Taliban figures would be given a platform by Australia’s Islamic community to spread the regime’s propaganda […]
Liberal Member for Herbert Phil Thompson, who was seriously wounded by an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan as an army private, said the decision was a “misstep” by the council that would outrage veterans.
The AFIC tried to defend the event as somehow neutral.
AFIC president Rateb Jneid […] said many Australian Muslims were concerned about what was happening in Afghanistan. “We have many families of Afghan background who are worried about their loved ones in Afghanistan and they want to hear about the intentions of the government there.
“We will do what is necessary to make sure that we get the message across to our youths not to go to Afghanistan.”
The Australian
Hmm, yes. We wouldn’t want our kids joining the KKK, either: so let’s give them a rousing pep talk by David Duke!
In response to criticism — or in panic at being caught out — the AFIC have cancelled the Taliban spokesmen’s appearance.
Which surely doesn’t really matter: surely the issue is that “mainstream Muslims” ever thought that it was appropriate to host the Taliban.
Still, the event shouldn’t have been cancelled. We’ve had enough of cancel culture: it should have been left to go ahead. After all, Australians deserve to see, loud and clear, what Australia’s peak Muslim body thinks is acceptable.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
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