Australia’s most senior Muslim leaders, including the Grand Mufti of Australia, have rallied behind a fatwa condemning Da’esh, also known as Islamic State (IS), as contrary to the Islamic faith, descrying the terrorist group’s “barbaric acts” as being “against the way of God”.
The Grand Mufti, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed, along with imams from NSW and Victoria, was reported in the Age as urging young people to listen to their religious leaders.
“We stand with all organisations that have condemned ISIS and declared innocence from its inhumane actions,” Dr Irbrahim said.
“Locally we would like to bring to the attention of our youth, and those who lead them, that ISIS is a trick designed to prey on youth, either by their being killed or locked up in prison. We doubt the origins of ISIS because since it was established it has not done one thing for the benefit of Islam and Muslims. Rather its actions and barbaric acts have been against the way of God.
“Therefore we warn our youth regarding the deceitful propaganda that ISIS uses through social media such as Facebook and Twitter. We remind our youth in Australia that social media and the medium of the internet cannot be a trusted means regarding religious knowledge.”
The National Imams Consultative Forum issued Australian Muslim perspective on some key contemporary concerns in May, addressing dozens of issues including slavery, suicide and foreign fighting.
The document states that the Da’esh ‘caliphate’ in Syria and Iraq is not legitimate and Australian Muslims are therefore in no way obliged to follow its dictates.
“We recognise that Muslim scholars and jurists in the past have discussed what a legitimate caliphate or caliph will be like and have developed certain conditions to be met if a caliphate is going to be legitimate,” the document states.
“Such conditions for its legitimacy have not been met by the so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq, and therefore claims of this caliphate carry no authority.”