Australian Muslim Party aims to contest federal and state elections

Australia's first Islamic faith political party intends to field Senate candidates in all states and territories at next year's federal election and also contest upper house seats at state level.

The party, to be announced Tuesday, will be known as the Australian Muslim Party.

Founder Diaa Mohamed defended the timing of the announcement days after the Paris terrorist atrocities, insisting there had never been a more critical time for the Muslim community to have a political voice in Australia.

As a devout Muslim, he said he would never condone the killing of innocents as seen on the streets of Paris and Beirut in the past week but said the Australian Muslim Party would also never support military action in a Muslim country in response to terrorism.

"I don't think Islam is at war with the West but Islamic countries have been at war for many, many years," he said

"Let's look at how well [military intervention] has worked in the past. We invaded Afghanistan. That didn't work out so well. We invaded Iraq and we're in the mess we're in there.

"Would I support something that has never worked in the past? No. It's just never worked. Not for the Soviets in Afghanistan, not for the United States in Iraq. There's a solution and it's not invading someone else's land."

He said the killings in Paris were "inexcusable" but drew a direct link between past foreign invasions in the Middle East and the spread of radical Islam, most recently by the Islamic State.

"From these guys' perspective they have had foreign fighters in their lands, their sons and daughters being killed. It could send a few people to change their views and use religion as a justification," he said.

Mr Mohamed, a 34 year-old businessman from western Sydney, founded a group called "MyPeace" aimed at improving relations between Muslims and mainstream Australia. He was also behind controversial billboards erected in Sydney in 2011 that claimed "Jesus: a prophet of Islam".

An unmarried father of a nine year-old son, he formerly worshipped at Lakemba Mosque but now attends the Parramatta Mosque.

He said the establishment of the AMP was in part a reaction to the six anti-Islamic parties intending to stand for election, including the Australian Liberty Alliance, launched recently by controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders, Rise Up and Nick Folkes' Party for Freedom.

About 20 Party for Freedom supporters protested outside the Parramatta Mosque after the murder of NSW Police accountant Curtis Cheng last month.

Mr Mohamed said he had never met Mr Cheng's 15 year-old killer Farhad Jabar Khalil Mohammad and had never heard any radical sentiment expressed at the mosque, which he described as a small "in and out" mosque used by professionals working in Parramatta.

He has taken office space in Parramatta where he and 20 volunteers will seek to gain the 500 members needed to register a political party in time for the next federal election. He said an Australian Muslim Party website would go live on Tuesday.

The party has already reached out to political experts for advice on a preference strategy, crucial to the election chances of minor parties.

Mr Mohamed said he had consulted both Imams and Christian bishops and priests on his intentions to form the party, saying non-Muslims were welcome as members. 

But he said senior Islamic clerics had advised him to "tread cautiously" in seeking representation for Muslims in politics.

Dr Jamal Rifi, a respected voice on moderate Islam, said he would encourage young Muslims to get involved with established parties like Labor Party, the Liberal Party and the Greens but understood the compulsion to directly organise on behalf of Muslims.

"We live in a democratic society and people are entitled to form anti-Muslim parties just as people are entitled to form the Muslim Party," he said.

Labor's Ed Husic was the first Muslim MP elected to the federal parliament in 2010.

Mr Mohamed said some Muslim commentators used regularly by the media showed too much "appeasement" of the mainstream community.

He described as "stupid" comments by Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie in support of banning sharia law, halal certification and the wearing of the burqa – although face coverings should not be allowed in police matters, banks and driver's licence issues, he said.

He said he was "living" sharia by not drinking, not eating pork and trying to pray five times a day but said fears about the imposition of any official sharia in a country with a Muslim population of 1.6 per cent was a "non issue".

"People should be free to wear as little as they want but also free to wear as much as they want," he said.

The party supports Australia accepting 12,000 Syrian refugees as the "most humane thing to do" in response to the crisis in that country.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/australian-muslim-party-aims-to-contest-federal-and-state-elections-20151116-gl0app.html#ixzz3rgSTpZGv