Stop Disgracing the Muslims of Australia

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam, Assalaamu Alaikum wa-Rehmatullhe wa-Barakaatuhu.

This is to bring to your notice that a certain dispute between the committee and imaam of Rooty Hill Mosque is being taken to the court. This will cause unmentionable disgrace to the whole community of Muslims in Australia. It is obvious that if any of the two rival parties had a sense of responsibility towards the honour of the Muslim community of Australia they would not have even thought of taking the matter outside the community. A mosque is a place of worship that belongs to none other than the Almighty Creator of the Universe. Any group who claims to serve such a facility would never let any dispute, no matter how severe, to ever reach a point that it should begin to compromise the sanctity of the place itself or the honour of the community that comes to worship there.

Their decision to expose the internal matter of the mosque to the court and eventually the media is a clear indication that none of the parties have any sense of the extreme shame they will cause to all the Muslims of Australia who work hard to live a respectable life in this country. Whatever the dispute is between the two parties it can never be greater than the widespread and lasting disgrace that will be caused if it is flouted outside the community. Surely in comparison to the honour of a House of Almighty Allah any dispute within the community should seem petty to any responsible-thinking Muslim. If both of the rival parties do not have enough sincerity to avoid this grave loss to the community then surely they do not deserve the support of the community either.

Therefore a group of us have decided to launch a petition against the irresponsible attitude of both parties involved in this dispute. Our plea is that both parties should consult with the more responsible-thinking members available in the wider community in order to explore more appropriate options in the light of the Holy Book, the Noble Quran, and the Exalted Traditions (Sunnah) of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), to resolve their petty dispute. People on the side of the Mosque Committee should have enough sense to deal with a scholar and imam in a manner that is befitting the respect that he deserves. Similarly an imam and scholar should implement his higher level of knowledge to approach the matter with an attitude of enough wisdom ('hikmah') and magnanimity to contain the discussion within limits of decent and responsible options. If both parties do not feel capable of dealing with the situation then they should humble themselves and involve other scholars and responsible-minded senior members available amongst the wider community of Muslims of Australia.

If this dispute is taken to the courts and eventually to the media then it will affect the whole of the Muslims of Australia. Therefore the whole community is a stakeholder. If the actions of the rival parties are devoid of this simple fact then we the community will have to rise up to defend our honour ourselves. A first step in this direction is to express our concern through a petition, in the hope that both rival groups may revert back to the wider community and contain their dispute to the internal limits of the community. If they choose to persist in their lack of responsibility then further actions can be explored on the basis of this petition.

These further options can and may include approaching the government to communicate the wider community's concern that the actions of these rival groups are causing serious damage to the respect and dignity that the wider community of Muslims in Australia are constantly working so hard to establish and maintain. So if both these groups have decided to work against the aspirations of the wider community then the community may also consider to reciprocate by disowning both of them and appealing to the government to take decisions accordingly.