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| Down Under |
| Mufti wants to be paid by God directly |
| 2006-07-08 |
| AN Islamic leader has said "thanks but no thanks" to an offer from Australia's peak Muslim body to reinstate his annual allowance. The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) yesterday said it would pay Sheikh Taj Aldin al-Hilali his $40,000 cleric's allowance after earlier withdrawing it and suggesting he contact his local Centrelink office. In an attempt to quell in-fighting, involving leadership issues arising from the April elections, AFIC yesterday said a "glitch" in the system had been fixed and that Sheikh Hilali would be paid. But the Egyptian-born Sheikh Hilali, who had been receiving fortnightly payments from AFIC for his role as mufti since 1989, has rejected the offer. He says while he appreciates the decision, he does not need the salary or sympathy. "I would like it to be known that for what is left of my life, I have taken the decision to take my stipend from God directly and will not accept a salary from any organisation whether Islamic or otherwise," Sheikh Hilali said. "I also confirm that I will not be going to Centrelink." Nevertheless, Sheikh Hilali said he would be prepared to do some work for the group if it was in the best interests of the community. The leadership tensions which led to the dispute stem from a battle between two ethnic groups to control AFIC. The mufti is believed to have sided with the rebel board over the new regime. Sheikh Hilali said some individuals had descended "to such a moral low that has brought disrepute to the Australian Muslim community and created a ruckus in the media". He called on AFIC to resolve leadership differences through dialogue rather than the courts. "There is no place in our society for these ethnic groupings that only produce grudges and personal score-setting," he said. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #4 Crap, I thought it was an article about Oral Roberts |
| Posted by: macofromoc 2006-07-08 21:17 |
| #3 ;-) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-07-08 18:30 |
| #2 Think Seagulls and Piegons Raj. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-07-08 18:26 |
| #1 I've always wondered if God did direct deposit... |
| Posted by: Raj 2006-07-08 14:08 |