Interview conducted this morning with 720 ABC Radio about the #sydneysiege & #illridewithyou @yahya_ibrahim told @NadiaMits he was profoundly saddened by the loss of life #SydneyStrong #sydneysiege – listen, Man Haron Monis.
Yahya Adel Ibrahim – Interview about the Sydney Siege
AI: Summary ©
A representative from the Boston Muslim community speaks about the loss of a man who was involved in assault against women. They express their deep sadness and hope that the man will be buried. The representative also discusses the use of media to promote extremist extremist agenda and calls for people to pray for the person.
AI: Transcript ©
Well, let's also take a moment to think about the Muslim community today who are just as horrified and saddened by what's happened. As we are. Imam yar. Abraham is deputy principal of an Islamic school in Perth and Chaplin at Curtin University and he joins me now. Good morning to you. Good morning. It's a pleasure to be on with you even in these difficult circumstances. Mm. How was your community reacted to what has happened?
I think I speak on behalf of every member of the Perth Australian Muslim community by expressing my profound sadness at the loss of the innocent life at the hands of a despicable evil government. This is a person where the allegations in the reports that he has a violent history of assaults against women 50 plus from what I understand. And he's currently bailed,
facing charges or was facing charges for the murder of his ex wife, or complicity in it.
The Prime Minister has described this individual as mentally unstable and a deranged individual. And as such, I distanced myself my community, from his acts as not being a reflection of Islam and Muslims, whether here or any place around the world. His actions to all of us as Muslims here in Perth, are considered evil. It is the hatred that is evil that was within them. And for me, personally, his name is not even worse mentioned. And I wish that, as he's buried, everything that was with him just was to disappear and depart from us, and his very memory was to be forgotten.
But in greater focus, really, it's about the pain that we perceive that the families of those who have lost loved ones must be enjoying and experiencing as a father of three young children. I can only resonate with the feelings of Kareena Dawson's husband who's lost his loving wife and mother of his children. I can only understand I can I can't even fathom the pain of Tory Johnson's families who've lost a brave young man who tried to do the right thing and bring it to an end.
So with them is our prayers and with them our thoughts and you know, I pray to the almighty to strengthen them and to aid them and to heal them.
Mmm, thank you for those kind words. How concerning is it that somebody like this is using your spiritual realities to promote these extreme and misguided political agendas?
I think for us as Muslims living in the age that we live in today, we've become almost desensitized to the fact that there will be some, you know, crazy ranting individuals who will hold up a scripture and say, you know, I'm here, I'm here doing God's work. And really what he's doing is walking into a cafe where people are ordering a cup of coffee, and seeking harm. And that has no spiritual place that has no
no justification in morality and ethics and religion in dogma, there's nothing that can justify it. So it's to us a complete revulsion
of what everything that we as you know, decent Muslims and Australians love. And they think the counter reaction to that of the I will ride with you message really I think people it resonated with them all around the world was they could see that this one man that could be used could have been used to tarnish a whole people of million Muslims nearly in Australia by the act of this 111 individual
was repelled. And I I strongly believe in the strength of the people of Sydney and the people of Australia. But this is not something that will tear us apart. And I think messages such as I will ride with you is a slap in the face of those who seek to pull us apart whether extremists amongst the Muslim communities, or extremists in the broader community who just want to
take our hands and disunited from one another. And for those who might not be aware, the old ride for you with you campaign was something that was started on Twitter and it was basically poke people non Muslims offering to ride on public transport with Muslim members of the Muslim community who may have been feeling a little threatened or uncomfortable given what had happened and and it became a worldwide sensation. And certainly that sort of support must be incredibly valuable for your community because do they feel in these sort of times that they do get a negative reaction from some members of the public? Sadly, there's a very small minority of people who are influenced by what
they see in the media and paint it as a reflection on everyone.
who they think is similar to that particular individual. So for example, if I have a beard or my wife has a scarf that it you know, in people who have dark hearts, and I guess irrationality of thought that they will say, Well, he thinks the same way that this person thinks, and if given the chance he'll try to do to me what this man tried to do. And the absolute truth of the matter is that this man does not represent anything in humanity, let alone anything that should be praised within Islam and Muslims will leave it there. Thank you very much for your time this morning. It's an honor and a pleasure and my thoughts and prayers go out to the innocents once again, I really do pray for
them and it's something that we will remember them in our mosques today and other places, and may comfort be brought to their hearts and to their souls.