SENIOR MUSLIM CLERIC GIVES ISLAM A BAD NAME; (my headline)
"Melbourne, Australia) Police in Victoria state are investing one of Australia's most senior Islamic clerics after receiving complaints he incited his followers to attack gays.
The complaint alleges that Rexhep Idrizi was reading from the Koran when he made derogatory comments about gays saying they should have "their heads chopped off".
Idrizi is chairman of the Board of Imams. The outburst occurred before 1000 worshippers at a prayer service.
"It's just spite from idiots," the Iman said. "All I said was that homosexuality is prohibited in Islam.
"I wouldn't encourage anyone to attack my enemy," Idrizi told the Herald Sun newspaper. "And if you put this in the paper, it's discrimination against Islam and we will defend ourselves."
But worshipper Asip Demiri, who was at the service, told the paper that Idrizi had verbally attacked gays.
"I couldn't believe it. I was sitting there with my son and he comes out with comments as if the Koran says it's OK to attack homosexuals," Demiri told the Herald Sun. "He told us they should have their heads chopped off.
"My son asked me if what the Imam said was true and I said 'No, it's not'. Then, he wanted to know if the Imam was lying and I couldn't give him an answer that would make any sense.
"We go there to pray, not to listen to that kind of rubbish. There were a lot of intelligent people there who were offended by it. He (Imam Idrizi) needs to be taken to task for it, because it gives Muslims a bad name," Demiri said.
Inciting violence is illegal under state law, which was recently expanded to include gays.
Last year, Imam Idrizi's son was jailed for four years and eight months, with a minimum of 15 months, for bashing gays.
Muhamed Idrizi, 20, and four others attacked a cyclist with a machete and bashed and robbed two other men. The court heard that the group had gone on what he called a "puffter bashing" mission.
One victim was repeatedly kicked, punched and struck over the head with a machete in a park.
The gang then robbed the man, stripped him and taunted him with homophobic epithets."
http://www.365gay.com/newscontent/120703ozIman.htm
How long did Demiri live after this?