|
Muslim cleric refuses to quit
27/10/2006 12:02 - (SA)
Sydney - Australia's most senior Muslim cleric refused to resign on Friday over his likening women without headscarves to "uncovered meat", saying he would only quit once the world was "clean of the White House".
As Prime Minister John Howard, a key United States ally, called for the Muslim community to act or risk a long-term stain on its image, Sheikh Taj Aldin al-Hilali was defiant over his comments that scantily-clad women invited rape.
After Friday prayers at his mosque in Sydney, the controversial Egyptian-born cleric was quizzed by a pack of news reporters over whether he would quit.
Hilali responded: "After we clean the world of the White House first."
The sheikh had previously described US President George W Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Howard as the axis of evil, a term originally employed by Bush to describe Iraq, Iran and North Korea.
Several Australian politicians and some members of the Islamic community had called for Hilali's resignation, but he still enjoyed grass roots support from his followers.
|
News
