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Coast radicals court sheik

31Oct06

CONTROVERSIAL Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali has been on the Gold Coast, staying at the mosque as an 'official guest' of a group of hard-core Gold Coast Muslims who have sworn allegiance to him.

On his third visit to the Gold Coast in 20 months, the mufti stayed in the first-floor guest quarters at the Arundel mosque for four days during the fasting month of Ramadan, which ended last week.

Muslim sources told The Gold Coast Bulletin that a small but influential core of Gold Coast Muslim extremists wants an 'Arab imam' with similar views to the mufti to replace the current imam, Imraan Husain, who is of Indian descent and perceived by the group to be too moderate.

A Gold Coast Bulletin investigation also uncovered:

* A member of the Gold Coast Islamic Association committee was convicted of sexual assault on a 16-year-old female, on October 19, after he pleaded guilty on October 16. The man has since been removed from the committee, but the offence occurred in May last year. The man is part of the hardcore group of followers who are open supporters of the mufti.

* Four men are on notice that they will be suspended from the mosque for periods of 20 and 40 days after a verbal fight during a Ramadan service where one of the men was heard to yell: "I'm not a criminal."

* A small group of Afghan members has challenged the Imam for not speaking about jihad.

Sources told The Bulletin that one of those suspended after the argument had been concerned that the convicted sex offender was still on the governing committee. Muslim community member Mustafa Ali said the committee member had not been replaced and nothing had been made public.

"For the past 16 to 18 months or so, the Islamic Association of the Gold Coast has been controlled by a small number of special interest groups from outside of the committee," he said.

"Their aim is to take control of the mosque and they are aided and supported by the mufti.

"They want to destroy the peace and harmony which the community have enjoyed since the arrival of the spiritual leader Imam Husain in February last year.

"A small number of Arabic and Afghan community on the Gold Coast use intimidation and physical threat tactics to drive away Muslim members who oppose them.

"They use mafia-style tactics. So far, they have managed to drive away many highly professional and educated members of our community from the mosque because they don't want conflict."

Mr Ali said many members were resisting 'those groups who are promoting ideas against multiculturalism and Australianism in our community'.

"They are against federal and state initiatives such as English-speaking imams and promoting racial harmony among Australian Muslims," he said.

Other well-placed Gold Coast Muslim sources said the extremists wanted to see Imam Husain leave.

"And they may succeed because although he is on a three-year contract, he is not happy with the constant friction from these people who question almost everything he says," said a Muslim member.

"And from his point of view it must be very frustrating because he is a true Islamic scholar and these others don't really know their Koran very well.

"One group even asked him why he doesn't speak about jihad and he told them that was not relevant in Australia at all, and he went further, adding that the Australian way of government would be well suited to some Islamic countries and that did not go down well with them at all."

Another source said a number of the nine-man governing committee was ruled by people outside the committee.

Committee president Abdul Naseem said the committee had found out about the charges against their fellow committee member only a few weeks ago.

"The person is no longer on the committee and that has been done in writing," he said.

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LOOKS LIKE THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD HAVE THEIR EYE ON THE GOLD COAST MOSQUE!