Islamic cleric steps down

Taj Aldin al-Hilali attracted controversy instead of friends, said senior Muslim leader Rehin Ghauri.

AUSTRALIA’S top Islamic cleric, who triggered a furore last year when he referred to women without head scarves as “uncovered meat,” stepped down yesterday, prompting Muslim leaders to appoint a new mufti.

Australia’s council of Muslim leaders appointed Sheikh Fehmi Naji El-Imam as the nation’s senior cleric, ending months of controversy over the previous mufti, Sheikh Taj Aldin al-Hilali.

The council initially offered al-Hilali another two-year term in the post but he “gracefully declined”, said a statement released by the Australian National Imams Council.

The sheikh declined to comment.

Rehin Ghauri, a senior Muslim leader from Western Australia state, said moderate Muslims would be glad to leave the friction of al-Hilali’s 18-year tenure behind.

“Al-Hilali is very experienced, but he has caused some problems to the community,” said Mr Ghauri.

Last September, al-Hilali sparked outrage in Australia when he blamed scantily clad women for tempting men to rape them, saying, “If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside... and the cats come to eat it ... whose fault is it?”

Al-Hilali denied his comments could incite rape and apologised for them, but soon afterward he sparked further anger by saying Muslims have more right to live in Australia than the descendants of convicts.

Those remarks prompted Prime Minister John Howard to urge the national council of imams to fire al-Hilali, saying Muslim leaders were out of touch with Australians’ wishes.