Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jam'ah Association of Australia

Last updated
Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah Association (Australia)
Registration no.95 226 006 996 (ABN) [1]
Headquarters Lakemba, New South Wales
Location
  • Has 11 centres across Australia [2]
AffiliationsAdheres to the Salafi movement
Website www.aswj.com.au
RemarksASWJA logo [3]

The Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah Association of Australia (ASWJA) was founded by Melbourne sheikh Mohammed Omran. [4] Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah is a generic term referring to Sunni Islam. Those who adopt it as organisational name do so as adherents of the Salafi movement in Australia, US, UK, and Canada. [5] [6]

Contents

Overview

ASWJA which is said to be both organised and influential, runs a number of programs for the community and for young people, with its followers striving to emulate Islam at time of Muhammad. [7]

The organisation is alleged to have established ties with Jemaah Islamiah and al-Qaeda. [8] [9] [10]

ASWJA is linked with the Islamic Information & Support Centre of Australia. [11]

The organisation supports Australian Muslim preacher Feiz Muhammad. [12] In 2007, Muhammad established the Dawah Central centre in Auburn, in a building, subsequently purchased in 2011 by the ASWJA, located behind the Bukhari House bookshop. [13] [14]

ASWJA is associated with the Hume Islamic Youth Centre (HIYC) in Melbourne, [15] the Global Islamic Youth Centre (GIYC) in Sydney [16] [17] and the Bukhari House bookshop in Sydney. [18] The Bukhari House bookshop has close links to Sydney's Street Dawah preaching group. [18] [19] Members of the Street Dawah preaching group have died fighting for ISIS. [20] [21] [22]

A young Melbourne man who attended HIYC, planned to launch a series of bombings across Melbourne, [23] then travelled to Iraq [15] where he carried out an Islamic State suicide bombing mission in which only he was killed. [24] Another terrorist, now deceased, was one of at least five fighters who grew up close to, or attended the HIYC. [25]

Harun Mehicevic the leader of Melbourne's Al-Furqan Islamic Information Centre was a student of Sheik Abu Ayman. ASWJA provided the funds to establish the centre and installed Mehicevic as leader. There has been a subsequent falling-out between the groups. [26] [27]

In May 2015, Mustafa Abu Yusuf, a spokesman for the ASWJA described terrorism as a, "fabricated issue". [28]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Current details for ABN 95 226 006 996".
  2. ↑ "About ASWJ". Archived from the original on 2009-05-03. Retrieved 2015-04-14.
  3. ↑ "ASWJA logo". Archived from the original on 2015-04-14.
  4. ↑ Rubin, B.M. (2010). Guide to Islamist Movements. Vol. 2. Sharpe. p. 119. ISBN   9780765641380 . Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Rubvin, Barry (2010). "Guide to Islamist Movements, Volume 2". p. 119. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Jakubowicz, Andrew (2007). "Political Islam and the future of Australian multiculturalism" (PDF). University of Technology. p. 10. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  7. ↑ Burke, Kelly (22 September 2012). "Disunity, not anger, is Muslim dilemma". Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  8. ↑ Neighbour, Sally (18 November 2006). "Militant networks". The Australian . Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  9. ↑ Rubin, B.M. (2010). Guide to Islamist Movements. Vol. 2. Sharpe. p. 123. ISBN   9780765641380 . Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  10. ↑ "Speak no evil - National - theage.com.au". theage.com.au. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "Submission for the Anti-Terrorism Laws Reform Bill 2009". Australian Parliament House. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  12. ↑ Burke, Kelly (20 July 2011). "Man accused of sharia assault called bin Laden 'soldier of God'". Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  13. ↑ "Sydney cleric Sheik Feiz Mohammed stirs the hatred". Herald Sun . 18 September 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  14. ↑ Bashan, Yoni (20 March 2011). "Al-Qaeda video featured on Sheik's website". The Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  15. 1 2 Wroe, David (10 March 2015). "Islamic State recruit 'wasn't on radar of authorities'". The Age . Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  16. ↑ Elliot, Tim. "The many faces of Sheikh Feiz". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  17. ↑ Bashan, Yoni; Phillips, Jesse (13 March 2011). "'Banned' Sheik Feiz Mohammed back in Australia". The Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  18. 1 2 Olding, Rachel (26 September 2014). "Members of Street Dawah preaching group feature heavily in Sydney's counter-terrorism raids". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  19. ↑ "Preachers banned from streets prominent in terrorism raids". Fairfax News. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  20. ↑ Auerbach, Taylor (12 March 2015). "Another Aussie Dawah devotee killed: Abdul Salam Mahmoud dies in Syria". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  21. ↑ Olding, Rachel (29 October 2014). "Australian Islamic State kingpin Mohammad Ali Baryalei dead: reports". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  22. ↑ "Melbourne model turned ISIS recruit Sharky Jama shot dead in Syria". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  23. ↑ Maley, Paul (13 March 2015). "Jihadi Jake Bilardi's plot to bomb Melbourne". The Australian. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  24. ↑ Dowling, James (17 March 2015). "Jihadi Jake Bilardi was 'weak' and 'sold his soul cheaply', says Islamic State online propaganda". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  25. ↑ Ferguson, John (20 March 2015). "Widows: Kill all infidels as images of dead terrorist surface". The Australian. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  26. ↑ Dowling, James (16 May 2015). "Revealed: The split that created Al-Furqan". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  27. ↑ Minear, Tom; Dowling, James (3 May 2015). "Islamic State-linked group Al-Furqan still meeting at suburban sports centre after shutting book shop". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  28. ↑ Le Grand, Chip (23 May 2015). "Australia an estranged country to many Muslims including Sheik Omran". The Australian. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
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