Grand Mufti of Australia under fire for comments on Paris attacks

GOVERNMENT Ministers have piled on the Grand Mufti of Australia over controversial comments he has made over the Paris terror attacks, calling on Australia’s top Muslim cleric to explain himself.

Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed has been slammed for issuing a statement on the Paris atrocities in which he insinuated racism was a cause of the Islamic State atrocities.

Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed’s statement said “causative factors” of the terror attacks were racism and Islamophobia, and that they needed to be addressed.

“These recent incidents highlight the fact that current strategies to deal with the threat of terrorism are not working,” Dr Mohammed said.

“It is therefore imperative that all causative factors such as racism, Islamophobia, curtailing freedoms through securitisation, duplicitous foreign policies and military intervention must be comprehensively addressed.”

He condemned the Paris attacks, which killed at least 132 people and injured more than 350, and offered condolences to victims’ friends and families.

But Dr Mohammed is facing pressure to “clarify his comments”, with Treasurer Scott Morrison saying the Grand Mufti had let Australian Muslims down.

Link

Do you think that Dr. Mohammed's comments were inappropriate, or do you think this is a case of the media blowing something way out of proportion? At first, I thought his comments could be deemed as offensive, then I read this in the article which kind of changed my tune a bit:

Ted Lapkin, director of public affairs at the Zionist Federation of Australia, said the Grand Mufti’s comments were a “disgrace”.

“The Mufti disgracefully attempts to invert culpability for last weekend’s terrorist atrocity with his statement that “duplicitous foreign policies and military intervention” are “causative factors” in this attack,” Mr Lapkin said.

“The premeditated murder of innocents is an irreducible evil that must never be contextualised, rationalised or justified — full stop.

“The objectives of Australia’s Middle East policy are focused on protecting innocents and pursuing tyrants.”

A very interesting extract indeed, which makes the reader question whether there might be some merit to what Dr. Mohammed stated in terms of the military intervention part.

What do you think?

a reply to: Dark Ghost

I think he is allowed an opinion,he has no reason to be all PC and no where do i see him condoning the attacks..

“These recent incidents highlight the fact that current strategies to deal with the threat of terrorism are not working,” Dr Mohammed said.
“It is therefore imperative that all causative factors such as racism, Islamophobia, curtailing freedoms through securitisation, duplicitous foreign policies and military intervention must be comprehensively addressed.”
He condemned the Paris attacks, which killed at least 132 people and injured more than 350, and offered condolences to victims’ friends and families.

www.news.com.au... 576

He is right that the current strategies just are not working.....

And just to add we really at this point do not have a problem with muslims in this country,that may change but as of now we just simply do not

a reply to: Dark Ghost

He's gone and equivocated when he should have condemned.

A good diplomat would just flat condemn what happened in Paris. No quarter given.


Obviously, as a Muslim, his comments will be scrutinised like this and found wanting. I'll say it again, good diplomats would leave no room for interpretation. Now, he'll be held up as all that's wrong with Islam and that 'even their moderate leaders won't put their houses in order.'

a reply to: Dark Ghost

The first thing I want to say, is that the fellow clearly is not an apologist. He merely has a firm grasp of the factors which lead people toward the path of darkness, and knows that for anything to improve, those factors need to be addressed.

He is absolutely, factually correct.

The truth is the truth, whether it is popular or not, and no matter from which corner it is spoken.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Sure , one terrorist travelled all the way from Syria and said to himself . These people dont like me and my kind lets go kill some of them .
www.dailymail.co.uk...

a reply to: Dark Ghost

"causative factors of the terror attacks were racism and Islamophobia"
Is it possible that he is referring to the treatment of Muslims in France pre-Paris atrocity?
So it was easier to solicit assistance from French/Belgian citizens.
Just my take on it.

I find the word 'ISLAMAPHOBIA' hillarious. It's a freaking religion. You never hear anyone say, oh i'm ChristianPhobic or Oh i'm BuddhismPhobic. This is clearly happening because 'Someone with Billions of Dollars pulling the strings wants the world to feel guilty so they can shove someone else's belief system down our throats for unknown sadistic reasons. Honestly it's all crap. I can't wait for people to stand up and tell these people where to shove it.

originally posted by: hutch622
a reply to: TrueBrit

Sure , one terrorist travelled all the way from Syria and said to himself . These people dont like me and my kind lets go kill some of them .
www.dailymail.co.uk...

Yeah but it's ok to kill people if they are racist and islamaphobic
Just not ok to be racist and islamaphobic

Sounds like he was saying they deserved to die because of their beliefs, mind it was indiscriminate

People should be allowed to talk about the bigger picture, without being called sympathisers. You can't just shut people up because they don't share your view or have another view to the iron clad consensus trying to be controlled by certain elements.

a reply to: hutch622 the terrorists were born in France and Belgium. Home grown terror.

I dont' think his speech was particularly apologetic but the main thing that stands out is the way he turned it into "poor us" and blaming everything but the actual people responsible. An outright condemnation without all the "its their fault because of racism etc" would have been far better

a reply to: awareness10

Umm... everyday I hear or read some good ole' boys state that we should round up ALL Muslims and kill them or nuke the WHOLE ME. Sounds like a candidate for Islamaphobia to me.

how did all these muslims get into Paris in the first place? Because La France bent over backwards to accommodate these people. islamophobic? more like islamophile.
imagine a bunch of Christian refugees bringing their Bibles into Egypt or Saudi Arabia. Not allowed.

weasel talk. 'the violence was wrong BUT they were provoked!!!'

a reply to: Dark Ghost

This planet is in a horrible spot right now. Our future is not looking good. It is not the peaceniks that are the problem

It's fundamentalism, a weak sense of self, fear...it's a lot of things - but it ain't the meek. The meek don't stand a snowballs chance in hell of turning any of this around

What do you think?

S&F for asking us the question - it's one of the more interesting questions I've seen lately

a reply to: Dark Ghost

export him back to where he came from