AUSTRALIAN CLERIC: AL AQSA ALWAYS IN OUR HEART

         Jakarta, 8 Safar 1435/11 December 2013 (MINA) – An Australian charismatic Muslim cleric, Syaikh Ramy Najmeddine stated al Aqsa is always in the heart of every Muslims, including Australians. He also called to all Muslims to take the role in supporting Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation.

        “Al Aqsa must be in the heart of every Muslims, whether they are in Australia or in the other places. Al Aqsa belongs to Muslims. It is our duty to free al Aqsa and support Palestinian struggle for independence from Israeli occupation,” said the cleric in an exclusive interview with Mi’raj News Islamic Agency (MINA)’s reporter in Jakarta, Wednesday.

Here is the full transcript of the interview:

MINA: What are done by Australian Muslims to support Palestinian independence struggle and the liberation of Al-Aqsa?

Syaikh: Al Aqsa should be in the heart of every Muslims, whether they are in Australia or in the other places. Al Aqsa belongs to Muslims. It is our duty to free al Aqsa and support Palestinian struggle for independence from Israeli occupation.

Unfortunately, we can do nothing to change the policies of Israel occupation and America toward Palestine and al Aqsa. Actually, we hope Indonesia can play the role in supporting the Palestinian cause and the freedom of al Aqsa because 90 percent of Indonesian people are Muslims. More then 200 million of Indonesians are Muslims, while the population of Australia just 20 million people, just like Jakarta. We are not many in numbers.

In Australia, we always do da’wah remind Muslims to their duty to support Palestinian struggle and to free al Aqsa with any efforts they can do.

(Islam in Australia is a minority religious group. According to the 2011 census, 476,291 people, or 2.2 percent of the total Australian population were Muslims. This made Islam the fourth largest religious grouping, after all forms of Christianity (64 percent), no religion (22.9 percent) and Buddhism (2.5 percent). Demographers attribute Muslim community growth trends during the most recent census period to relatively high birth rates, and recent immigration patterns.  According to the 2011 census there are 340 mosques in Australia).

MINA: Can you tell me the growing of Islam in Australia after WTC attack 2001?

Syaikh: Well, In Australia, when I am being an Imaam of a major city masjid in Melbourne, We used to have approximately eight people convert to Islam in every month. The statistics would be 80 percent of women and 20 percent a men.

Sometimes, some number of these conversion to Islam were because of marriage are about 10 percent. But the rest, alhamdulillah, they study and read Al-Qur’an. May be they have a Muslim friend, have friends in a Islamic schools or colleges, have Muslim business partners of Muslim, or a Muslim neighbor, then they start asking questions about Islam.

The questions they used to ask are why are you wearing a special clothe like that (saroong)?, why are you keeping the beard? Why are you not eating (in Ramadhan month)? Why  in Friday do you dress different? So, these questions make people feel curious. They really want to know.

We try to answer those questions and they come to masjid. We have also been invited to come to non Muslim schools to have a seminar to explain and answer those questions.

MINA: Are there any occasions or events organized by Australian Muslims in the frame of da’wah?

Syaikh: In Australia, there is a Muslim village, basically, the concept or the idea is from a Muslim architects and some builders who make a marketing plan, then some Muslims buy it. All accesses around the village are bought by Muslims. So, when all neighbours are Muslims, it will be save. When all neighbours around the village are Muslims, it will be save for us.

MINA: Are there any police woman in Australia who wear Jilbab?

Syaikh: In Australia, there are police women and they wear jilbab, same color with their uniform. Actually there are many Muslims become  policemen in Australia. The government, I think they realize that if  a Muslims have a problem, it is difficult for the police to help them because they do not allow them to touch Muslim woman. So then the government started to employ Muslim females to become policewomen to serve Muslim women community.

Alhamdulillah in Australia there are police women who are wearing jilbab and they serve the community like other police officers. We can see them from the name in their uniform. There are many Muslim names like Muhamed, Ahmed, Ayesha, and so on.

So, there is no problem for them to wear jilbab and the government and police institution permits them.

MINA: Is there any intervention from the United Kingdom to Australian government because we know that Australia got an independence from British?

Syaikh: The British queen has nothing to do, But, We can say that the laws in Australia are similar with the British law. The British colonized Australia. So, their law also applied in our country. But now, some of the Laws are changed and more adaptive to serve the people.

Once, In a local government, some years ago, there is a Muslim brother who was jailed. It is because he was doing a bad thing. He planned to bomb a place. The government secret agency knew it, then they monitored for some years and the government has enough evidence to lock him away.

We are very sad our brother do this action because he do this in the name of Islam.

Islam teaches us when we live in a country, in a community, so we have to respect the arrangements which run there. We have a responsibility to respect the law of the country where we live in. It is because the country has given us asylum or permanent residency. So we do not have a right to make chaos in the community.

MINA: Do you have any problem with your visit to Indonesia due to the bad Indonesia-Australia relationship?

Syaikh: No, I have no problem in my visit to Indonesia. I am not a politician and I am not involved to the case. I myself believe that many politicians are liars. They come on TV, they say something and take an action under the table. They do something different with the reality.

We only hear about the spy conflict on news. For me, no body take it seriously. It is a politician problem, not ours.

MINA: How do Australian Muslims educate their children? Do they have an Islamic schools?

Syaikh: Yes, we have some Islamic schools. In Melbourne, we have about seven Islamic schools and they cover from primary up to high schools. Sometime the schools fees are more expensive than in state schools. But, there is a big waiting list if we want to register our children in an Islamic schools. So that’s why some of Muslim family send their children to state schools.

MINA: Do you find any different between Indonesia and Australia in your style of da’wah?

Syaikh: Indonesia people have good heart. They are thirsty for knowledge. We find them eager and are willing to learn and understand Islam. They are willing to listen the advice and always willing to be better.

While in Australia, sometimes, we find people like this, but the majority, they are effected by the West. Many of them can not do salat. It is because the environment do not support them. So, many children get effected by the environment.

It is also because many parents only focus on dollar, and do not focus on their families. They work almost the whole day, from early morning to late night and ignored salat time.

So, the lifestyle in Australia is very different from Indonesia. In the place of work for example. in Indonesia, we have an hour to have lunch and pray salat. We also have right to perform jum’at praying.

I used to work in a company in Australia and they do not give me a time to pray. So, I decided to resign from the company.

So, I can say that many Muslims in Australia, they are very busy with their jobs. The just have little time to learn Islam.

MINA: How can you fulfill your daily needs due to your job as a preacher (da’i)?

Syaikh: Yes, I have a business, but my main job is da’wah. I try to make it simple and I believe that if we do da’wah, Allah will fulfill our needs. I realize that it is more easier for me to perform da’wah in Indonesia rather than in Australia.

MINA: Finally, What is your message to Muslims in all over the world?

Syaikh: My message would be for my brothers and sisters, young and old, doctors, engineers, and all of them in universities, please make masjid as the base for seeking knowledge, make the masjid as the center of all activities. Just like in the Prophet PBUH’s era, that masjid was the place where he get married, center of education, and he sent the army from the masjid.

Saying we are Muslims is not enough. Be proud to be a Muslims just not by an ID card, but we have to practice Islamic rules in our life. So, please make Islam as our clothes, in our businesses and daily activities. (L/P04/P012/E1).

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)