Читать книгу The Tragedy of Islam - Imam Mohammad Tawhidi - Страница 20

Throughout the last two centuries, moderate Muslims have been collectively tackling the extremist Wahhabi fundamentalist ideology in every way possible, but have failed to bring an end to the barbaric ideology. As a Muslim preacher, I could easily have claimed that the extremists do not represent the religion of Islam, and continued to preach peace like many Muslim clerics. I wasn’t prepared to do that as honesty is an important principle within my life. Therefore, I made it clear that ISIS, Al-Qaeda and the like declare that they represent Islam, and they do in fact represent mainstream Islamic teachings. In my opinion, the only successful way to tackle the growth of such an ideology is by identifying it. The books of Bukhari and Ibn Taymiyah, which are highly revered by the majority of Muslims, include chapters about jihad. They are not about “struggle jihad.” but the actual “jihad of war.”

I believed and still believe that the only way to tackle such a growing extremist ideology is through diplomatic relations, by raising awareness about the dangers of extremist Islamism and the jihadization (radicalization) of youth within major Islamic institutes, and pressuring relevant authorities to take reasonable action against private Islamic school curriculums, international excursions to Islamic governments, along with other matters such as radical preachers being invited into the West from the Middle East. This mission required that I become familiar with all methods, protocols, and etiquettes of diplomacy; most importantly, it required patience. Lots of it. Attitudes, perceptions, interests, priorities, agendas, and life and career experiences vary from one politician to another. One member of parliament would genuinely believe in the policies I proposed for his or her upcoming election campaign, while another from the very same political party would sit and ridicule my ideas throughout our entire meeting.

Engaging in these meetings, sometimes publicly, raises many eyebrows within the Muslim community. According to most Muslim scholars throughout the globe, Muslim scholars need to prove to the senior scholars of the state that they are worthy of preaching and leading a community. This matter didn’t apply to me as many of the Shia Muslim scholars in Australia support Hizbullah and the Iranian regime, two terrorist bodies which I have denounced.

My father on the other hand was well known among the Shia Muslim scholars in Australia and, whether he agreed with my opinions or not, this did not change the fact that I came from a lineage of Islamic scholars and leaders. It was important however for me to prove my level of education. Therefore, I established the Islamic Association of South Australia upon my arrival in Adelaide in 2016, along with an Islamic education program which operated from the University of South Australia. I chose Adelaide, South Australia, simply because it has a lower rate of Islamic extremists than Sydney and Melbourne. The latter cities have played an important role in producing soldiers who travel abroad to join ISIS.

I have developed healthy friendships with numerous politicians and government authorities within Adelaide and Sydney. I have also engaged in interfaith events, building bridges between moderate Muslims and other religious communities. Without mentioning the names of any political parties, numerous politicians welcomed and embraced me and my mission of peace, which encouraged me to continue on my journey. However, these political figures were prepared to support me in every way possible, but wanted everything to remain discreet. I refused because I believed that tackling Islamic extremism wasn’t a crime, and there was no reason to do it discreetly. Secondly, the citizens who voted for these politicians had every right to know about their official meetings with me. I maintained a healthy friendship with them, but I was never prepared to engage in any official work with any of them.

I had aspirations to launch another TV channel in Australia. However, I paused this project for another time within the near future, and sought to bring attention to my mission of peace in Australia by sharing my opinions on national media channels and agencies. I caught national attention when Channel 7’s Today Tonight program interviewed me regarding matters concerning Islam and Islamic extremism. Indeed, Australia had never seen a Muslim imam as outspoken as myself – something I am proud of, because deep inside I know that my loyalty belongs to Australia and this was a simple way of giving back to such a great country. I was humbled when many Australians rushed to my social media profiles to describe me as “a breath of fresh air.” As my interview requests became more frequent, I found myself appearing on a wider variety of TV channels such as Fox and Sky News. In my opinion, what attracts the media to me the most is the fact that time keeps proving all of my warnings to be true.

In February 2017, I appeared on Today Tonight on Channel 7 and warned the Australian nation and government that Islamic extremists were hoping to set up a caliphate in Australia. My claims were ridiculed by the mainstream media along with the majority of the Muslim community. However, less than a week later, Muslim extremist and electrician Haisem Zahab, aged 42, was arrested in Sydney, Australia, after researching and attempting to design a laser warning device along with missiles for ISIS. Today, extremists in Lakemba, Sydney, publicly say, and on camera, that they want to establish Sharia Law in Australia and everywhere on Earth.

Many other events in 2017 confirmed my warnings about the extent of Islamic extremist activity in Australia. On May 23, 2017, the South Australia Police and the Australian Federal Police arrested a 22-year-old extremist Muslim woman from South Australia. She was charged with one count of knowingly being a member of a terrorist organization. On June 5, 2017, during the Holy Month of Ramadhan, 29-year-old Islamic extremist Yacqub Khayre shot dead receptionist Kai Hao in the foyer of a serviced apartment in Melbourne. He took another female escort hostage in an apartment while contacting both the police and the media, making references to both ISIS and Al-Qaeda. He was shot dead after wounding three police officers.

In July 2017, Australian police thwarted a plot to bomb an airliner. Four Muslim men were arrested by the Australian Federal Police and raids were carried out on their properties. On October 31, 2017, Tamin Khaja pleaded guilty to planning a terrorist attack on civilians in Sydney. On November 27, 2017, 20-year-old extremist Muslim Ali Khalif Shire was arrested for plotting a mass shooting in Australia and a major terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve.

Alongside these terrorist attacks, some Muslim leaders have ongoing ambitions to purchase gigantic blocks of land and to transform them into Muslim-only neighborhoods. At the same time, Muslim preachers such as Ibrahim Saddiq Conlon have publicly announced that certain parts of Australia should fall under Sharia Law. My warnings were accurate and correct, not because they were predictions, but because I live within the Muslim community, and I know the plans of the Islamic extremists.

I was also active internationally between 2015 and 2017. On February 22, 2017, I volunteered to defend Jakarta’s Christian governor Basuki Purnama (Ahok) at a blasphemy trial in Indonesia, because I truly believed that organizations promoting the ideology of the terrorist leaders responsible for the Bali bombings were plotting to replace him with an Islamic extremist governor.