Leading Islamist groups have condemned Scott Morrison as “deeply misinformed” and “dangerous” after the former prime minister demanded a national register and accreditation for imams and expanded the framework for foreign interference to enshrine foreign links in religious institutions.
The former Liberal leader claimed at an anti-Semitism conference in Jerusalem on Tuesday that the measures were necessary after the Islamic State-inspired Bondi terror at a Hanukkah event, which left 15 people dead. Morrison demanded a focus on “radicalised extremist Islam”, noting the two alleged Bondi shooters were “Australian-made” and demanding local Muslim organizations do more to stamp out hate.
“It is time for nationally consistent, self-regulatory standards: recognized accreditation for imams, a national register for public religious roles, clear training and conduct requirements, and enforceable disciplinary authority,” Morrison wrote in the Australian newspaper.
“Protection, financial accountability and supervision of foreign financing must also be strengthened.”
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But the country’s main Islamic body, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), branded Morrison’s comments as “reckless, deeply offensive and extremely dangerous”, labeling his calls to recognize Islamic preachers as a “fundamental attack on religious freedom and equality before the law”.
“This kind of rhetoric inevitably creates a divide between so-called ‘acceptable’ and ‘unacceptable’ Muslims, with politicians positioning themselves as arbiters of our faith,” said AFIC President Dr. Rateb Jneid.
“That’s not leadership. It’s dangerous, and history shows us exactly where it leads.”
The AFIC said it rejected the idea that Islam requires “special regulation, supervision or state-imposed supervision.”
Aftab Malik, the federal envoy on Islamophobia, said those who promote violence do not represent Islam, and extremism must be countered.
“However, it should never be used as a pretext to restrict freedoms, control faith or distrust an entire community. This gives a social license to hate,” he told Guardian Australia.
“Conflating crime with the lived faith of Australian Muslims undermines trust and weakens genuine efforts to keep all Australians safe.”
Giridharan Sivaraman, Australia’s racial discrimination commissioner, said he agreed with Morrison’s assertion that freedom of religion brings responsibility – but warned against excluding certain communities.
“If you single out one community or religion you risk that entire community being racially vilified or blamed for the actions of a few,” he told Guardian Australia.
“In fact, you risk pitting communities against each other. If you emphasize just one community, you create a hierarchy of whose identity is acceptable and which is not.
“Once you accept that religion is practiced in many ways in Australia, singling out one faith to ban is that faith and makes people of that faith feel victimized, degraded, distant and not Australian. That can actually lead to extremism.”
Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy described Morrison’s idea as “truly problematic and disturbing” in a speech on ABC radio, praising the Muslim community as “incredibly valued Australians”.
“Some of the first people to condemn the despicable attacks in Bondi were leaders of our Australian Muslim community, and we will continue to support their right to practice in peace,” he said.
Morrison – who has often spoken about his Pentecostal faith – claimed that Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain had taken authority over religious education, licensing of imams and revising curricula, and that such reforms would help the Muslim community “keep the wolves out of their flock”.
“If you want to become an Anglican minister, you need to have the right accreditation, do the interviews, have training in all the things you need to have training in, to make sure you comply with Australian laws. If you don’t do that, you won’t get a ticket,” Morrison told 2GB.
But the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), which represents more than 300 Muslim leaders and clerics across the country, condemned Morrison’s claims as “deeply misinformed”.
Bilal Rauf, special adviser at ANIC, said Morrison’s call to translate Islamic teachings into English reflected a “fundamental ignorance”, noting that there were already translations that were “readily used”.
“Law enforcement authorities have stated unequivocally that these attacks were not directed, organized or condoned by any religious community. It is deeply disappointing to hear such divisive language from a former prime minister who, better than most, understands the importance of unity, social cohesion and responsible leadership,” ANIC said in a statement.
The ANIC noted that when Australian man Brenton Tarrant murdered 51 worshipers at a mosque in Christchurch in 2019 – during Morrison’s time as prime minister – “no collective blame was placed on any race, religion or community, nor should it have been. That same standard must be applied consistently.”
ANIC also condemned comments from current Liberal senator and shadow minister Andrew Bragg, who endorsed Morrison’s comments on ABC radio and called on Muslims to “take some responsibility” for terrorist acts.
“This rhetoric, coming from leading opposition figures, reflects the failure of leadership at a time when calm and responsibility are required,” ANIC said.
Bragg, asked about Morrison’s claims, told the ABC: “I think the Australian Muslim community needs to take some responsibility for the behavior we’ve seen over the last few decades.”
“The West has probably been too nice for its own good, and many Western countries probably feel that they cannot be honest and open about some of these issues.”
Morrison said he was not proposing the government “run a religion” and denied his idea was about policing faith, but claimed it was about “responsibility and accountability”.
Morrison was criticized for the secrecy and lack of accountability in his decision to secretly appoint himself to multiple ministry portfolios during the Covid pandemic.
Gamel Kheir, secretary of the Lebanese Muslim Association, said Islamic extremism must be examined in the context where Australia is also seeing a rise in neo-Nazism.
“To somehow say that the Muslim community is responsible for evil in the world is to live in a cocoon and bury your head in the sand,” he said.
Morrison has been contacted for comment.
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