SYDNEY, 27 November 2003 — The spiritual leader of Australia’s 280,000 Muslims has used a sermon marking the end of Ramadan to try to head off growing cross cultural hostilities and ethnic tension by warning his people to love Australia or leave it.
Sheikh Taj Din Al-Hilali also told some 30,000 Muslims gathered outside a mosque in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba, heart of Australia’s Islamic community, that they must shape up or ship out.
“Australia is our compassionate mother, and I say to every person living in Australia, from the person in the highest office down to the ordinary man in the street: love this country or leave it, shape up or ship out,” he said in his sermon delivered on Tuesday.
The Lakemba mosque has been a focal point of police investigations into the actions of a French convert to Islam, Willie Brigitte, who was arrested in Sydney and deported last month under suspicion of plotting attacks on behalf of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.
Australia’s Muslim community has complained of persecution since the Sept. 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda attacks on the United States.
In his sermon, Al-Hilali also strongly condemned recent international terrorist attacks during the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
His sermon echoed remarks by New South Wales state Premier Bob Carr last month in which he warned gang leaders to obey the laws of the country or leave it.
Carr, who accompanied Al-Hilali at Lakemba on Tuesday told the crowd that mutual respect was the key to avoiding a clash of civilizations and that a strong multicultural Australia needed to respect different cultures.
“We want a dialogue with civilizations, we don’t want a clash of civilizations, we want the people of the world respecting one another,” he said.
