Australiaâs mainstream Muslim leaders Tuesday pledged to defend the country against terrorism, disowned Osama Bin Laden and accepted differences with the government over the Iraq war.
| I guess "shape up or ship out" is a workable approach... |
The commitment came at a meeting Prime Minister John Howard called with 14 Islamic leaders after last monthâs London bombings by British-born Muslims raised fears of similar violence from disaffected members of Australiaâs small Islamic community. Howard and the president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Ameer Ali, told a joint news conference that delegates had agreed on their loyalty to Australia and their rejection of terrorism. The prime minister said there was âa concern that a small section of the Islamic community of this country could be the source of terrorismâ.
"Define 'small.'"
"Less than totality." |
âThe important thing coming out of this meeting is that we all agree on that and we need to work together.â Howard was criticised ahead of the talks for refusing to invite more radical Islamic leaders to participate, but said he did not want to âprovide a forum for fanaticsâ.
| So it's only the ones who were invited who're on board. Are the other guys going to be deported, we hope? |
Asked whether the Muslim delegates had denounced Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden - once described by an uninvited radical cleric as a âgood manâ - Howard and Ali said this was implied by the rejection of terrorism. âNo one supports him,â Ali said, describing the clericâs comment as âstupidâ. âIt goes without saying that the majority of the community do not see him as a Muslim leader. He is not in the main group, his activities are not welcome, thereâs no reservation in that.â Ali said the Islamic leaders had denounced extremism, terrorism and the teaching of hatred, and saw themselves as Australians. âWe believe in the Australian family, we are all members of the same family. We have an unreserved commitment to the safety and security of this nation, of all the groups that live in this country, so that we can live in a peaceful, harmonious society in the future,â he said. The prime minister had raised the contentious issue of the deployment of Australian soldiers in Iraq, described by one group ahead of the talks as the main cause of alienation for Muslims, and was met with differences of opinion. âThatâs democracy. We are entitled to our own opinions but we are not here to change the foreign policy of this country,â Ali said. |