Islamic State offers something no Muslim can resist-Waleed Aly & Grand Mufit Dr Mohd provided reasons.Passive support can only grow.

by Ganesh Sahathevan

While many Muslims have stepped-up to condemn Islamic State's actions as "un-Islamic" few, if any, have denied the attraction of  what ISIS promises to all Muslims:Domination over all others,and a restoration of the so called "golden age" of Islam under an Islamic  Caliphate, like that of Andalus, or the Ottoman Empire. 

The Grand Mufti of Australia Dr Mohamad Abu Ibrahim actually said so in a press statement that was meant to condemn ISIS: 
Dr Ibrahim said people need to be reminded that the term "Islamic State" refers to an era when Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together in peace and harmony."That is why that terminology 'Islamic State' is attractive to Muslims," he said.

Waleed Aly on the other hand has done so at various point of time,often unintentionally but that tends to happen when one  is a spin doctor. His most recent revelation came in his call for peace , love and unity against ISIS/ISIL: 

“Isil’s strategy is to split the world into two camps, it’s that black and white.”He added: “They want countries like ours to reject their Muslims and vilify them,” before cutting to a clip of Pauline Hanson speaking in an interview.The video ends with a riposte to MPs who are “preaching hate”.“I am angry at these terrorists. I’m sickened by the violence and I’m crushed for the families that have been left behind. But you know what, I won’t be manipulated. We all need to come together.

“It’s exactly what Isil doesn’t want. So if you’re a member of parliament, or a has-been member of parliament preaching hate at a time when what we actually need is more love, you’re helping Isil.“I’m pretty sure that right now, none of us wants to help these bastards.”

Note that Aly cuts not to ISIL but to Pauline Hanson to make the point on disunity, implying that while ISIS is very  bad,the real division, the real evil,comes not from Muslims but the white majority. Accept Muslims,and the Muslim way ,"it’s that black and white"  and there will be "love", but do not expect that Muslims will accept the Australian way.In fact Waleed said so in 2005, on SBS's Insight: 

WALEED ALY: I think there is a danger, particularly with integration. I don't have any objections to integration per se, but I do have concerns about the way in which that word can be used . We've spoken at length here about integrating to what? That's precisely the point. If integration becomes the buzz word, then what it means is it will end up being conflated with assimilation. That's my real worry. Certainly, I think there is a real problem with that having. Sorry, the dangers that that will cause will be quite profound. If you look within the Muslim community at the moment, and I can tell you that, because I'm heavily involved with it, one of the greatest problems of unrest within the Muslim community and one of the greatest causes of social problems that's going to occur between the Muslim community and the wider community is a feeling of not being welcomed and a feeling of not belonging . That will only be exacerbated by this idea that you have to be essentially some white European from the 1950s or you have to subscribe to some set of values, which you probably subscribe to anyway , but now you are being told you cannot be this certain way, you have to be this certain way, resistance grows larger. That can be a real problem.

 

The "vast majority" of Muslims may not like ISIS/ISIL's methods, but should ISIS/ISIL succeed, they are unlikely to reject the fruits of its efforts.That being the case, one can expect that ISIS/ISIL's legion of passive supporters even in Australia can only grow.

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