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Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jam'ah Association of Australia

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Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah Association (Australia)
Registration no.95 226 006 996 (ABN)[1]
HeadquartersLakemba, New South Wales
Location
  • Has 11 centres across Australia[2]
AffiliationsAdheres to the Salafi movement
Websitewww.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]

Overview

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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 the time of Muhammad.[7]

The organisation is alleged to have established ties with Jemaah Islamiyah 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 Mohammad.[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, Jake Bilardi, 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] Suhan Rahman aka 'Abu Jihad Al-Australi', another now dead terrorist, was one of at least five fighters who grew up close to, or attended the HIYC.[25][26]

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.[27][28]

In May 2015, Mustafa Abu Yusuf, a spokesman for the ASWJA described terrorism as a, "fabricated issue".[29]

See also

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References

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  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 8 December 2024. (subscription required)
  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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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 8 December 2024. (subscription required)
  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 8 December 2024. (subscription required)
  26. ^ "Former Melbourne student killed in Syria: reports". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  27. ^ Dowling, James (16 May 2015). "Revealed: The split that created Al-Furqan". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ Le Grand, Chip (23 May 2015). "Australia an estranged country to many Muslims including Sheik Omran". The Australian. Retrieved 8 December 2024. (subscription required)
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