UN OFFICIALS: MOSQUE IS NOT RADICALIZATION CENTRE
Sydney, 30 Rajab 1434/8 June 2013 (MINA) – Aftab Malik, an official UN Alliance of Civilizations Global Expert on Muslim Affairs said that mosques are not centres of radicalisation and they should not be feared.
”Mosques are not centres of radicalisation and they should not be feared. Yes, it appears that many applications for the construction of mosques and Islamic schools have been rejected, and certainly, terrorists are antithetical to traditional Islamic learning,” Malik said, in his article in the Australian online media, Muslim Village, Friday (7/6).
Malik said his statement came after having read a recent interview with Australia’s top Muslim cleric, the Grand Mufti Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, the Muslim Village reported as monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
“However, his diagnosis, that more mosques (and Islamic schools) are the solution to combat radicalisation, requires further exploration and probing,” Malik who is also the member of the British Council said.
Malik asserted the Australian Muslim leadership needs to ensure that Muslim scholars and theologians are able to articulate theology in a meaningful manner and be bold and robust to challenge a theology of hate that festers in the ghettos.
“The more the Muslim community is able to acquaint themselves with it, the more they will be inoculated from a bizarre, putrid, literal reading of Islam that is seductively tied together by conspiracy theories,” Malik said.
There needs to be acknowledgment, Malik continued, that many Australian Muslims feel alienated from their society, especially when research confirms large proportions of mainstream society holding anti-Islamic sentiments.
That Mosque and Islamic school planning permissions have failed isn’t surprising given such a climate of distrust. Locals feel threatened by such institutions, others feel such structures are “out of place” and will clash in character and nature with the broader society.
“While others simply hold onto misinformed views about Muslims and Islam,” said the man who recently stayed in the capital city of Australia, Sydney.
Overwhelmingly, the majority of Australian Muslims feel that Islam instils universal values that are shared by Australians, they believe that their faith makes them better citizens.
To combat misunderstanding of Islam, Malik added, it will need the assistance and partnership of both parties, the Muslim community and the government. Meanwhile, Australian Muslims already feel that they are under scrutiny.
Moves need to be taken to regulate and make mosques more amenable to young Muslims and the wider public. “As the Mufti correctly said, institutions do need to be built, but not only to cater for the masses.”
“We need the creation of enlightened institutions with a curriculum that comprehends modern thought that will be able to attract talented students. Without such institutions, it is unlikely that a sophisticated understanding of the Islamic tradition can be fostered,” Malik added. (T/P09).
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
