Taj El-Din Hilaly

Infobox ReligiousBio
background = #008000
name = Sheikh Taj El-Din Hamid Hilaly


religion = Sunni Muslim
alias = _ar. تاج الدين الهلالي
Tajeddin Hilaly
Hilali
Al-Hilaly
Taj el-Din al-Hilali
Aldin Alhilali
Tajideen El-Hilaly
Tajeddine
location = Lakemba Mosque, Sydney
Title = Grand Mufti of Australia and New Zealand
Period = 1992 - June 2007
Predecessor =
Successor = Fehmi Naji
ordination =
post = Grand Mufti
date of birth = Birth year and age|1941
place of birth = flagcountry|Egypt
date of death =
place of death =
website = Sheikh Taj El-Din Hamid Hilaly ( _ar. تاج الدين الهلالي; born Egypt c. 1941), is an Imam of the Lakemba Mosque [http://www.lma.org.au/sheikhs.php The Lebanese Moslems Association: Sheikhs] retrieved 2007-01-26] in Sydney and an Australian Sunni Muslim leader. [Richard Kerbaj [http://web.archive.org/web/20060407225400/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18723068-28737,00.html Islam's secular stoush. April 6, 2006] retrieved 2007-01-28] The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils appointed him Mufti of Australia in 1988. His name is sometimes alternatively spelt Tajeddin Hilaly, Hilali, Al-Hilaly, Taj el-Din al-Hilali, Aldin Alhilali, Tajideen El-Hilaly or Tajeddine.Toni Hassan ABC Radio, The Religion Report (transcript) [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/relrpt/stories/s1233723.htm Keysar Trad on an alternative Australian Muslim leadership] 20 October 2004, retrieved 2007-01-16] He presented himself as the Grand Mufti of Australia and New Zealand. However, the Australian-Turkish Muslim Community staunchly reject such status attributed to him. [Geraldine Doogue ABC Radio Sunday Profile (transcript) [http://www.abc.net.au/sundayprofile/stories/s1060425.htm Sheik Al-Hilaly] Sunday, 7 March 2004, retrieved 2007-01-16] which was also described as honorary. [cite news|last=Walsh and Berry|first=Kerry-Anne and Sean|title=Plea for a little understanding|date=March 7, 2004|publisher=Sydney Morning Herald|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/06/1078464694846.html?from=storyrhs retrieved 2007-01-16] Fehmi Naji succeeded him as Grand Mufti in June 2007. [http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21891258-5006009,00.html Bin Laden backer blasted] "The Daily Telegraph"]

Arrival in Australia and eventual citizenship

Hilaly arrived in Australia in 1982 on a tourist visa from Lebanon, but did not leave before the visa expired. Following his speech at Sydney University in 1988, then Minister for Immigration Chris Hurford attempted to have him deported for inciting hatred and being against "Australian values". However, Hurford's successor Gerry Hand granted Hilaly permanent residence in 1990, which led to his eventual citizenship, following a campaign by Sydney's Muslim community. [Gerard Henderson [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/08/1078594293439.html Think murder and then call it poetry. March 9, 2004] retrieved 2007-01-29] [John Stewart [http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/stories/s759146.htm Imam's arrest adds to tensions. 07/01/2003] retrieved 2007-01-29] Hurford remains adamant that Hilaly should have been deported, noting that Hilaly had been unsatisfactory in meeting requirements of inter-communal harmony despite repeated temporary renewals of his visa. [BARRIE CASSIDY. ABC TV [http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/content/2003/s890658.htm Former minister outlines reservations over sheik. 29/06/2003] retrieved 2007-01-29]

Partial funding by the Libyan Islamic Call Society

Hilaly serves as Imam at Lakemba Mosque, which is run by the Lebanese Muslim Association. However, his wages are paid by the "the Libyan Islamic Call Society and private individuals",Irfan Yusuf [http://newmatilda.com/home/articledetail.asp?ArticleID=1899 Islam and Australia: Hilali Has to Go. Wednesday 1 November 2006] retrieved 2007-01-27] according to a former vice-president of the LMA.

Criminal charges

In 1999 Hilaly was charged and jailed after being convicted of being involved in smuggling goods from Egypt. [Islamic Council of Victoria [http://www.icv.org.au/history8.shtml Islamic Council of Victoria: History: After the Second World War© Copyright ICV 2002] retrieved 2007-01-29]

In early 2003 Hilaly's vehicle was stopped because an object was protruding from it. After closer inspection, New South Wales Police charged him with driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, as well as for his behaviour towards the police officers. [Jo Mazzocchi, ABC Radio [http://www.abc.net.au/am/stories/s758722.htm Sheik Taj el-Din Al Hilaly Facing Summons. Tuesday, 7 January 2003] retrieved 2007-01-29] This incident led to an attack against police officers by nearby Muslims and widespread condemnation from the public. [John Stewart, ABC Radio [http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/stories/s759146.htm Imam's arrest adds to tensions. 07/01/2003] retrieved 2007-01-29] Although charges of assaulting the police officers, hindering the officers, and resisting arrest were later dropped due to a processing technicality, Hilaly was fined A$400 for the incident. [Linda Morris, Sydney Morning Herald [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/04/1059849343336.html Muslim leader's arrest ordeal put to rest. August 5, 2003] retrieved 2007-01-29]

Negotiation to free abducted Australian Douglas Wood

In May 2005 Australian contractor Douglas Wood was abducted by a militant group calling itself the Shura Council of the Mujahideen of Iraq. They demanded that the Australian government withdraw its troops from Iraq in exchange for Wood. Twice that month, Hilaly traveled to Iraq to negotiate Wood's release, the second time interrupting treatment for a heart condition and returning, at the explicit request of the Australian government, "to Baghdad to deliver an extraordinary offer to Mr Wood's captors, on their behalf." Hilaly said later, "There was a point where the abductors wanted $25 million. Eventually, we managed to convince them to drop this demand and a figure, in the thousands, was agreed." [SMH (2005) [http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/I-stopped-execution-of-Douglas-Wood-mufti/2005/06/18/1119034101376.html I stopped execution of Douglas Wood: Mufti] .] Hilaly also claimed to have spoken to Douglas Wood via telephone, yet after Douglas Wood was rescued following a raid by the Iraqi army, Wood denied ever having spoken to Hilaly. [ABC(2005) [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200507/s1405801.htm Wood 'negotiations' led to ransom hopes] .]

2005 Australian Muslim Achievement Award

In July 2005 Hilaly was named "Muslim Man of the Year" for 2005 at the first Australian Muslim Achievement Awards by Mission of Hope (Muslim Community Solutions for Health and Well-being). [MoH(2005) [http://www.missionofhope.org.au/docs/finalists.pdf Mission of Hope Awards Finalists 2005] .] [Cresents Community News(2005) [http://www.crescentsofbrisbane.org/Newsletter/CCN0036.htm CCN Sunday,17 July 2005, Newsletter 0036] .]

Controversies

1988 speech regarding Jews

Australian Jewish organisations have regularly accused Hilaly of antisemitism, a charge he denies. The charges began in 1988 when Hilaly delivered a lecture to a group of Muslim students at University of Sydney on the topic "The Disposition of Jews in the light of the Qur'an." He was quoted as saying:

Hilaly has not since apologised nor retracted his comments, in which he accused Jews of "causing all wars." [ [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/relrpt/stories/s1469192.htm#anchor The Religion Report: 28 September 2005 - Full Transcript ] ]

February 2004 sermon

In February 2004 Hilaly gave a sermon at a mosque in Sidon, Lebanon, whilst overseas the text of which was translated by the Australian Embassy in Beirut. It appeared to show him supporting terrorist attacks. In his sermon, Hilaly said:

quote|Sons of Islam, there is a war of infidels taking place everywhere. The true man is the boy who opposes Israeli tanks with strength and faith. The boy who, despite his mother's objections, goes out to war to become a martyr like his elder brother. The boy who tells his mother: 'Oh mother, don't cry for me if I die. Oh mother, Jihad has been imposed on me and I want to become a martyr'."

September 11 is God's work against oppressors. Some of the things that happen in the world cannot be explained; a civilian airplane whose secrets cannot be explained if we ask its pilot who reached his objective without error, who led your steps? Or if we ask the giant that fell, who humiliated you? Or if we ask the President, who made you cry? God is the answer.|Taj El-Din Hilalycite web |date=13.02.04|url = http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s1058934.htm|title = Sheikh Hilaly Sermon at Sidon Mosque|format = HTML |publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation| accessdate = 2007-08-21 | last=Taj El-Din Hilaly |quote=]

In his speech, he also predicted that Muslims would control the White House and appeared to support Hezbollah. [ [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/28/1077677014393.html September 11 is God's work: Mufti - National - www.smh.com.au ] ] The Australian Federal Police declined to investigate his activities overseas.

2006 Holocaust denial

In July 2006 Hilaly was sacked from Prime Minister of Australia John Howard's Muslim Community Reference Group following comments he made in which he denied the Holocaust, calling it a "Zionist lie". He also referred to Israel as a "cancer". This prompted calls for legal action to be pursued against him, in a country which has the highest per-capita number of Holocaust survivors in the world outside Israel. [ [http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=1189 Call for legal action over mufti's Holocaust denial (July 21, 2006) ] ]

October 2006 sermon

Comments concerning dress and rape

In October 2006, Hilaly delivered a Ramadan sermon in Arabic in which he made statements concerning female clothing which proved highly controversial. The key part of these was:

He also said, "in the state of zina, the responsibility falls 90 per cent of the time on the woman. Why? Because she possesses the weapon of enticement (igraa)."cite news|last=Kerbaj|first=Richard|title=Muslim leader blames women for sex attacks|date=October 26, 2006|publisher=The Australian|url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20646437-601,00.html] Hilaly later claimed that he had intended to suggest that "if a woman who shows herself off, she is to blame...but a man should be able to control himself." He also contended that his references to the prison sentence of Bilal Skaf, the leader of a group of Lebanese Australians who committed gang rapes in Sydney in 2000, in which he said that women would "sway suggestively" before men "and then you get a judge without mercy (rahma) and gives you 65 years", were aimed at illustrating the need for harsh sanctions for rape.

Reactions and responses

Phong Nguyen, chairman of the Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria, responded by saying, "Cultural diversity and equality between the sexes in Australia means that women are entitled to dress as they choose and should never be judged on their dress choice." He also commented, "The standard of someone's dress should never be used to justify rape, which is a criminal offence."

Pru Goward, Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner, responded during a television interview that "It is incitement to a crime. Young Muslim men who now rape women can cite this in court, can quote this man... their leader in court. It's time we stopped just saying he should apologize. It is time the Islamic community did more than say they were horrified. I think it is time he left." [AAP (2006). [http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/deport-rape-comment-cleric-says-goward/2006/10/26/1161749218999.html Deport rape comment cleric, says Goward] . Retrieved October 26, 2006.]

Keysar Trad, a spokesman for Hilaly, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, "From my discussions with him, the issue was not whether they wear a hijab or don't wear a hijab. The issue is that every society has a certain dress code, a normal dress code that people go by. So if somebody goes beyond that dress code, if men or women get to the stage where they dress in a manner that is provocative then these people are doing something wrong. He was not talking about rape." [The Australian (2006). [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20647912-601,00.html Mufti was not talking about rape: associate] . Retrieved October 26, 2006.]

After such comments were made publicly, on 26 October 2006 Hilaly released a statement. He said, "I unreservedly apologize to any woman who is offended by my comments. I had only intended to protect women's honour, something lost in "The Australian" presentation of my talk." [AAP (2006). [http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/sheik-sorry-for-sexist-comment/2006/10/26/1161749243241.html Sheik apologises for sexist comments] . Retrieved October 26, 2006.]

Bikini march

In late 2006 Melbourne resident Christine Hawkins organised a bikini rally, in which women were to wear beach clothing and march on Lakemba Mosque and the Islamic Information and Support Centre in Brunswick, Melbourne, to voice their "disgust" at Hilaly's comments. ["The Australian" [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20883616-7583,00.html Opinion: Youthful ignorance: No one is served by covering up Islamic outrages] , December 7, 2006] Taghred Chandab and Matthew Benns, [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/12/02/1164777846230.html?from=top5 Mosque to get police protection] , "Sydney Morning Herald", December 3, 2006] [Sabra Lane, ABC television (transcript), [http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1798532.htm Women protest Sheikh's comments with bikini march] , 27 November 2006] Ultimately, organisers claimed that public reports critical of the demonstration and personal attacks caused them to abandon the event. [ [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20910197-662,00.html Great Australian Bikini March off] , "Herald Sun", December 12, 2006]

January 2007 television comments

On 8 January 2007 the Hilaly appeared on an Egyptian television program. He made a number of comments that sparked criticism in Australia, including the following:
*British and Irish settlers arrived in Australia as convicts. Muslims paid for their own tickets, and so have more right to Australia
*Prison sentences handed down to Lebanese Australian Muslims for the Sydney gang rapes were excessive and influenced by the September 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S.
*Western people, especially the English race, are the biggest liars and oppressors.

Hilaly also condemned the level of rights awarded to homosexuals in Australia, stating "We have Christian churches which allow people of the same gender to marry" and "I understand the mentality of the West and especially the Australian mentality and I understand that the Australian law guarantees freedoms to the point of insanity." [ [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21045887-601,00.html Hilali ridicules nation of convicts] ] [ [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21051494-5001561,00.html On air with the foot-in-mouth mufti] ]

Cleared of alleged links to Hezbollah

Allegations surfaced that Hilaly was diverting relief funds for the victims of the Israel-Lebanon to Hezbollah. On May 10, 2007 the Australian Federal Police cleared Hilaly, of diverting charitable funds to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.cite web |date= May 10, 2007. 2:38pm (AEST)|url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1919590.htm|title = AFP clears Al Hilali of funding Hezbollah|format = HTML |publisher = ABC| accessdate = 2007-08-21 | last= |quote=An Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigation has cleared the Sydney Muslim cleric, Sheikh Taj el-Din Al Hilali, of diverting charitable funds to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.]

Retirement

The Council of Islamic Jurisprudence and Research reappointed Hilaly as Grand Mufti on 10 June 2007, however, he declined the position, thereby ending his tumultuous term in office. [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/controversial-sheik-steps-down/2007/06/10/1181414120329.html Controversial sheik steps down] ] [ [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/religionreport/stories/2007/1883247.htm#transcript Mufti Sheikh Hilaly's tenure coming to an end] ]

References

External links