Australia’s leading Islamic organization has warned that the radio licence of the Sydney-based Muslim station 2MFM, which has been accused of links to a “radical cult:, should not be renewed because it is promoting “sectarian fringe views”.
The Australian National Imams Council said the application by Muslim Community Radio Incorporated (MCRI) to continue running the station is misleading and falsely claims it has the support of mainstream Muslims.
The Grand Mufti of Australia, Sheikh Fehmi Naji El-Imam, has also warned the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) that 2MFM “adheres to a doctrine that would lead many Muslims to feel that they are being accused of blasphemy and apostasy”. “This is a very serious matter within our community and can lead to people being shunned and families being split. This leads to a serious erosion of the very social fabric of our community.”
But a 2MFM spokesman said it was a false accusation. He said the radio station “uses every opportunity to interact with the various backgrounds of the community and endeavours to represent their various interests and views”.
[It] has been a leader and a pioneer with a reputable 15 years of service and thrives to satisfy the taste of its diverse listeners.”
The licence for 2MFM is due for renewal in May but even one of its founders, who wrote the station’s last renewal application in 2005, has distanced himself from the group, which is associated with the Islamic Charity Projects Association that is in turn linked with the controversial Muslim group known as Al-Ahbash.
Al-Ahbash was founded in Lebanon in the 1950s by an Ethiopian cleric. Its critics have said it is a violent fringe cult organisation, claims the group has always denied.
The former insider, Mustapha Kara-Ali, a member of the Howard government’s Muslim reference group, agrees that they have become more of a “cult: than a mainstream organisation.
“Why would the government hand over a radio licence to a cult? 2MFM operates as a closed system with some of it members and volunteers belonging to the Ahbash group, and this has adversely affected its ability to encourage participation from the general Muslim community,” he said.
A submission about the licence has been made by the Imams Council, stating that 2MFM has given misleading information to ACMA, therefore potentially disqualifying the station from holding a licence.
A social researcher commissioned by the Imams Council found several organisations listed as members and supporters of 2MFM were not in fact real organisations. The researcher said that the station clearly did not meet the required criteria for a radio licence.
The Grand Mufti of Australia, Sheikh Fehmi Naji El-Imam, has also warned the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) that 2MFM “adheres to a doctrine that would lead many Muslims to feel that they are being accused of blasphemy and apostasy”. “This is a very serious matter within our community and can lead to people being shunned and families being split. This leads to a serious erosion of the very social fabric of our community.”
But a 2MFM spokesman said it was a false accusation. He said the radio station “uses every opportunity to interact with the various backgrounds of the community and endeavours to represent their various interests and views”.
[It] has been a leader and a pioneer with a reputable 15 years of service and thrives to satisfy the taste of its diverse listeners.”
The licence for 2MFM is due for renewal in May but even one of its founders, who wrote the station’s last renewal application in 2005, has distanced himself from the group, which is associated with the Islamic Charity Projects Association that is in turn linked with the controversial Muslim group known as Al-Ahbash.
Al-Ahbash was founded in Lebanon in the 1950s by an Ethiopian cleric. Its critics have said it is a violent fringe cult organisation, claims the group has always denied.
The former insider, Mustapha Kara-Ali, a member of the Howard government’s Muslim reference group, agrees that they have become more of a “cult: than a mainstream organisation.
“Why would the government hand over a radio licence to a cult? 2MFM operates as a closed system with some of it members and volunteers belonging to the Ahbash group, and this has adversely affected its ability to encourage participation from the general Muslim community,” he said.
A submission about the licence has been made by the Imams Council, stating that 2MFM has given misleading information to ACMA, therefore potentially disqualifying the station from holding a licence.
A social researcher commissioned by the Imams Council found several organisations listed as members and supporters of 2MFM were not in fact real organisations. The researcher said that the station clearly did not meet the required criteria for a radio licence.
Source: IslamToday