Muslims condemn the thugs

As an indication of the strength of Australia's multicultural society, 25 Muslim leaders have come together in unity, announcing to Australia that they condemn the violence on the weekend and will be instructing their congregations not to attend any more protest rallies. It's being reported widely in the media, but the site "Muslim Village" I came across has the most detailed reporting of it.



I'm impressed. Around the world the protests are intensifying, yet Australia is taking a different course. Kudos to all those organisations involved in this media statement. They really did need to come out with something like this to quell the rage most Australians were feeling (and expressing) over the weekend thug violence in Sydney. That violence certainly won't be forgotten in a hurry, but this is a very good start. I hope they do something positive about the radicalisation of certain young Muslims in their community.    

• We acknowledge that the problem of disaffected youth cuts across all Australian communities and that more must be done to address their needs and problems. The Muslim community’s leadership plans to place greater focus on developing specific programs which could affect positive change amongst the youth. 
• We call on all Muslim religious leaders to address the incident in their sermons this coming Friday calling for calm in line with the great legacy of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). 
• The community leadership does not endorse any rallies that may be planned in the near future to protest against the insulting film. The community also plans to implement a level of governance to manage any future action that may be deemed necessary to deal with religious vilification and related matters. We call on members of the Muslim community to be vigilant and respond only to directives from reputable and established centres and Mosques. 
• Unfortunately since Saturday several hundred messages of outrage as well as hate have been received by Muslim organisations. There have also been threats made to people and property which will be passed on to the authorities. We therefore call for calm and restraint and urge individuals to leave this matter in the hands of law enforcement agencies. We extend our appreciation to those who have sent messages of support especially other religious communities.

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