Slaughter in Iraq sickens peace-loving Muslims

sundstrom | 12th Aug 2014 7:41 AM Updated: 7:53 AM

THE former head of Australia's peak Muslim body has spoken against the "lunacy" raging in Iraq, saying Islam is a peaceful, moderate religion.

Haset Sali, a Sunshine Coast lawyer and the former head of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, condemned the "insanity prevailing in northern Iraq".

Sickening pictures of young children allegedly embroiled in the mass genocide of Christians by ISIS - the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria - have been circulating on social media.

They follow reports of how the Islamic terrorists are preparing children for a long anti-West war.

Mr Sali, the author of the Holy Quran Simply, argued aligning Muslims to ISIS was like aligning "Christians to Hitler".

"What we're witnessing at this very moment is fascism at its worst, in the name of Islam," he said.

"It sickens me to see these people described as Islamic extremist. It is like saying Hitler was a Christian extremist

"It sickening to the decent peace-loving, law-abiding Muslim here.

"They are not (what Muslims are about) and everything they represent we hold in contempt."

He said the "vast majority of Muslims want to have peace, look after their family and make a contribution to the nation".

Muslim Organisation Sunshine Coast member Riaz Janif said there were about "300 to 400" Muslims living on the Sunshine Coast.

He was "unaware" of the crisis in northern Iraq, but said this kind of treatment was "inhumane".

"It is inhumane to kill somebody for doing nothing wrong. Jews getting killed, Christians getting killed is not acceptable," he said.

The organisation is raising funds to build a mosque in Maroochydore, which Mr Janif hopes to see within "two to five years".

"We have a lot of university students (converting to Islam) and also a lot of helicopter pilots from Saudi Arabia looking for a place to worship," he said.

Mr Janif and Mr Sali condemned the continued violence in the Gaza strip.

Mr Sali has also started a petition on Change.Org calling for Australian's intervention in this crisis.

He has petitioned Foreign Affairs Minister, Julie Bishop for Australia to "sponsor a motion to call on the United Nations to send a peacekeeping force into Palestine territories".

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/its-fascism-not-islam/2348583/