OnIslam & News Agencies
SYDNEY – Widely seen as representing the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Australian Muslims have condemned the militant group for hijacking the black flag carrying the Muslims’ declaration of faith, or Shahada, to which all Muslims aspire.
"It is a flag that all Muslims aspire to because it is the first flag that flew with the name that there is no God but God, and the Prophet is the messenger of God," Dr Jamal Rifi, a community leader and the founding member of the Christian Muslim Friendship Society, told SBS on Tuesday, September 9.
The Muslim leader was responding to the recent controversy after media reported that a mosque in western Sydney suburb of Liverpool has sold the black flag formore than $2000 in a July auction.
Though the auction was held two months ago, it has sparked anger at both a state and federal government level.
"It is a serious offence underAustralian law to work with terrorist organizations, to fund terrorist organizations, to fight with terrorist organizations," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said.
"These are serious offences under Australian law and where there is evidence that Australian law has been broken it will be dealt with severely."
New South Wales Premier Mike Baird says his government is considering banning the flag.
"It is a flag that is used by ISIS and ultimately that we have to respond to and have a zero tolerance to," he says.
"We obviously understand and appreciate and are very mindful of the tradition of Islam and this in no way goes in any way shape or form against that. This is about a terrorist organization and you can see what they are doing across the world, and it is horrendous. And so in this country we have to have a zero tolerance approach to anything that shows support for that."
Hijacked
However a community leader, Dr Jamal Rifi, says the mosque had no intention of supporting Islamic State.
"Probably this flag should not have been put for an auction," says Dr Rifi, who is the founding member of the Christian Muslim Friendship Society.
"But the people made this a couple of months ago, well before the atrocities of the barbaric state. It was a gesture mainly to raise some funds for the Markaz Imam Ahmad mosque in Liverpool."
"In no way did they want to show any support for the barbaric state and in no way was it endorsing their atrocities."
Militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have been widely condemned by Muslims worldwide who staged several protests to express anger against the terrorist group.
The bitter condemnation followed the release of a video on Tuesday purportedly showing American journalist Steven Sotloff beheaded by the militants.
It was the second such beheading in the past week, following that of the British journalist James Foley by the same group.
Dr Rifi, a vocal speaker against ISIL, has condemned the group for hijacking the Islamic flag same as cross has been hijacked by the Ku Klux Klan.
"It is a generic term. It is Shahada, which is the first pillar of all Muslims and it's been hijacked by the Islamic State the same way the cross has been hijacked by the Ku Klux Klan and we should look at it in its entirety," he noted.
"This does not belong to them, it belongs to all of us."
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