Aussie PM accused of bullying Muslim leader Ibrahim Abu Muhammad

Rasa - Dozens of Muslim leaders and organisations around the country have hit out at the Prime Minister Tony Abbott for "bullying" the mufti of Australia and Islamic groups that criticise his government.

News ID: 2158

Date: 22 February 2015 - 14:51

RNA - According to The Sydney Morning Herald, in a joint statement signed by 64 organisations and 42 community and religious leaders, they have opposed Mr Abbott's "politically convenient" threats to tackle and crack down on Islamic groups whose only crime has been to speak out about his stance towards Muslims.

The statement said that they "opposed" the bullying of the nation's highest Islamic leader, Ibrahim Abu Muhammad, because of his opposition to Mr Abbott's attempts to silence people.

The community released the statement before an address to parliament by Mr Abbott on Monday outlining changes to the nation's national security framework. It is believed that it will include moves to strip Australians with dual nationalities of their citizenship if they become involved in terrorism. It comes as a university student from Perth is the latest recruit to the terror group ISIS. It has been reported that Muhammed Sheglabo told his family he was going on a camping trip, but he has turned up on the Iraq-Syria border with ISIS militants.

Mr Abbott has angered the community for criticised the mufti,  Dr Abu Mohammed, for speaking out against a possible ban on Hizb ut-Tahrir, saying the mufti's comments were wrong-headed and unhelpful.

Dr Abu Mohammed, the leader of Muslims in Australia, has said it would be a "political mistake" to ban the group.

The community statement comes amid more reports that Muslims are feeling a backlash and are being targeted by the community and authorities.

A Muslim woman picking up her child from the Christian school which she attends, has said she was questioned by police while she was sitting in her car waiting across the road from the Sydney primary school.

The statement said: "We deplore and denounce the continued public targeting of Muslims through abominable 'anti-terror' laws. The laws passed in late 2014 have been used to justify opportunistic raids on Muslim homes, have created media and community hysteria where in the majority of cases no crime was committed, and have created distressing and harmful backlash towards Muslims, especially women and children."

Hizb ut-Tahrir has said attempts to ban its organisation would be laughable if they weren't  so serious.

A spokesman said their media statements made their position very clear. "We don't support the methods, the crimes of ISIS, or their claim to a caliphate. What else do we need to say to show we don't support them?"

"The threat to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir is laughable, for Hizb ut-Tahrir is nothing but its ideas and it would be disingenuous to believe one can ban ideas," a media statement from the organisation said.

"There is nothing courageous about employing the entire resources of the state apparatus to prevent an already disadvantaged group from merely expressing themselves and their faith."

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