THE auction at a crowded Sydney mosque of a flag identical to those waved by Islamic State terrorists is a deeply worrying development. It represents a possible mainstream Muslim acceptance of imagery associated with acts of unspeakable violence in Syria and Iraq, overwhelmingly committed against other Muslims. Video footage of the auction shows aggressive bidding for both the black and white flag and a painting of the flag, which bears the Shahada, an Islamic oath that reads: “There is no God except God and Mohammed is the messenger of God.” Islamic State warriors have fought under this flag as they sought the removal of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, during their vicious incursions throughout northern Iraq, and while beheading American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff. Also worrying is the reaction from some in the Muslim community to the auction. Veteran Muslim leader Keysar Trad claimed the flag was sold not as an Islamic State icon, but on the basis of its original meaning to Muslims. This seems a specious line of reasoning. It is akin to auctioning a swastika based on the previous meaning of identical images to ancient Indian cultures, among others. In any case, some among Sydney’s Muslim community clearly associate the flag with Islamic State, and approvingly so. A teenager who posted auction footage online accompanied the video with shots of himself with a similar flag above the caption: “going to kill Bashar al-Assad now”. Sydney’s mainstream Muslim community frequently expresses frustration that it is asked to condemn extremists following every all-too-frequent terrorist atrocity. This auction will have done nothing at all to reassure those who are worried about attitudes within our Muslim community to Islamic extremism. The high prices fetched by the flag and painting are another worrying sign of possible tolerance, or even embrace, of Islamic State’s brutal ambitions. Beyond concerns over the Muslim community’s views towards terrorism, there is a potential legal issue. As NSW premier Mike Baird explained yesterday: “I note that Islamic State is listed by the Commonwealth government as a terrorist organisation and that it is against the law to provide it with any support. We expect everyone in NSW to obey the law or face the consequences.” It could be reasonably argued that raising funds for a mosque by auctioning a flag clearly associated with Islamic State does constitute supporting a terrorist organisation. If community action is not taken to quell extremist sympathies, the law may be required.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 22:37:35 +0000
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