The Australian is reporting today that, in light of the Sheikh Taj controversy, a new council of imams will be formed. This council, unlike the still-born attempts of the government, its Muslim Community Reference Group (MCRG), and the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) will be completely independent of the State.
The national body is a significant development. An immigration department-backed national conference of Muslim clerics in September has yet to produce a national board, and the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils – the umbrella body now in administration – also failed to deliver on its promise to set one up earlier this year.
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Sheik Shady said the board was set up without government assistance to improve the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims. “If the Government is willing to support, they’re more than welcome,” he said.
This is a welcome initiative and it is important that such institutions are developed by and from within the Muslim community rather than imposed from without. There is an obvious need for the imams of Australia’s masajid to communicate and hopefully, with time, they may even be able to address such weighty issues as reaching a consensus as to the start and end of Ramadan. The membership list [pdf] suggests that the group is being created by joining together the various state-based imam councils and boards so it is good that this won’t be a Sydney-centric operation.
However, it is concerning that the group seems set to repeat the mistakes of the past. According to this press release [PDF] issued by the group, they will be electing a new Grand Mufti of Australia in January, 2007. As we have said countless times, the fundamental problem isn’t who is made the mufti of Australia but the very fact that such a position even exists. No one person can represent all Muslims and no matter who the board decides to elect that person will never be seen as a leader for all Muslims regardless of their qualifications. At the same time, it is going to make that person and his pronouncements the subject of intense media and political scrutiny with 300,000 Muslims being held hostage to his every public word. It would be far better for the board to elect a chairman, president or general-secretary rather than attempt to cobble together another mufti position of dubious spiritual, political and social authority in the community.
UPDATE: And, of course, the board is being opposed by the Ahbash (Habashies) who are described in today’s paper as, “believed to be linked to the Syrian Baathist regime”.
6 comments ↓
Is that the real Sheikh Shady?
assalamu alaikum,
I honestly can’t understand why they keep wanting to elect a ‘Mufti of Australia’. Why can’t they just stick to having a council of Imams? If they really want a representative, give him another title but not the ’spiritual leader and Mufti of all Australian Muslims’. Totally ridiculous in my opinion. It puts him on the same level in the minds of non-Muslims as the Pope.
wassalamu alaikum
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
yes his name is sheik shady and yes it does beg to be mocked (e.g. what about the other sheiks; grumpy, dopey and bashful? boom boom)
but this man’s reputation is outstanding, he has an exemplary character and he has the rare courage to tell people what they need to hear rather than what they want to.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/.....64351.html
http://www.amirbutler.com/archives/2005/12/14/65
It’s pronounced Sha-dee not Shay-dee.
Tobias is right. By all accounts, he has had a very positive influence amongst Sydney’s Lebanese youth.
I have a lot of random thoughts about this news. I hope you don’t mind if I splurge:
Apart from the fact that there are plenty of Imams from various ethnic groups not represented in the list (where are the Turks, Afghans, East Africans…), and that I know for a fact at least some of those appearing in the list do not believe a Mufti is needed, this is an interesting announcement.
I still remain skeptical though.
I don’t know why anything needed to go to the press at this stage either? What has this actually done except gathered the names of a few Imams who are qualified and non-qualified together? 70-something representing all of Australia? Surely there are more Imams working in the various communities than this? I know there are at least 50 or 60 in Sydney alone, if not more, not including those who do not “work” actively in the field. If this is the case, then the 32 on the 1st section (taken to represent Sydney?) is around half, or perhaps even less than this.
I wonder what all these announcements will actually achieve – they have been coming all year and there still does not seem to be any change on the ground. Same old stuff. Is it all about clambering to get funding or what? It seems everyone and their dog (figuratively speaking) are promising to qualify “Aussie Imams” these days, and give diplomas and whatnot in Islamic Studies, yet it seems no one has done anything other than blow hot air.
It seems like another group to compete with the various “Islamic” councils currently in place around Australia – 3 here in Sydney alone. How will this actually benefit the community in any way? How will these Imams deal with the politics which they all know exist amongst their communities?
It raises more questions than answers. And this is before even beginning to thikn about how this group will act in regards to the “Muslim Reference Group”, and other government/official departments. Plus other groups such as the Shi’a and so on.
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