A Sydney Muslim leader has received a threat via a jihadist social-media account after warning young people not to join the fighting in Syria and Iraq.
Keysar Trad, the founder of the Islamic Friendship Association, received the threat last week from the site, after publicly urging people to donate to sanctioned charities to help Syria rather than taking up arms.
It has been alleged the account, which has posted many gruesome photos, including some depicting decapitated heads, was operated by former Sydney boxer Mohamed Elomar but this has been denied by his family.
"The Twitter account is a fake, he does not have Twitter," said one of Mr Elomar's sisters, who did not wish to be named. "I wonder who is on the other side of this account."
Mr Elomar's wife, Fatima, told The Sun-Herald "my husband does not operate or use Twitter or Facebook".
"The account that has posted pictures of my children does not belong to my husband and I am concerned as to who is doing this," she said.
The threat from the Twitter account known as "Abu Hafs" warned Mr Trad "Don't u know the penalty for the muslim who aids thr kuffar against his muslim brothers, stop hindering men from Allah's path."
Mr Trad has referred the threat to Australian Federal Police and told The Sun-Herald, "it is people like this Abu Hafs who are 'hindering men from Allah’s path'".
Mr Trad said the reported actions of ISIL (Islamic State of the Levant) are contrary to the teachings of Islam, they hinder Muslims and non-Muslims from a true appreciation of the beauty of Islam.
"The reported actions of such groups have been used by Islamophobes to further attack Islam and to deter people from appreciating this great faith of mercy, love and compassion," he said.
It is understood that several people have been threatened by whoever is operating the Twitter account and the Attorney General's Department has encouraged anyone who receives a threat of violence and or abusive correspondence to report it to local police.
The Twitter account and another supposedly operated by former Sydney man Khaled Sharrouf, who was convicted of terrorism offences and serving a jail sentence before leaving the country late last year on his brother's passport, had posted photos of Mr Elomar holding up the severed heads of men killed in fighting.
Mr Elomar's sister said the pictures appeared to have been altered. "The photo is a bad quality Photoshop," she said.
Mr Sharrouf's account appeared to have been shut down on Saturday.
It is the IS and people like this Abu Hafs who are “hindering men from Allah’s path”. The reported actions of IS are contrary to the teachings of Islam they hinder Muslims and non Muslims from a true appreciation of the beauty of Islam. The reported actions of such groups have been used by Islamophobes to further attack Islam and to deter people from appreciating this great faith of mercy, love and compassion.
It is the IS and people like this Abu Hafs who are “hindering men from Allah’s path”. The reported actions of IS are contrary to the teachings of Islam they hinder Muslims and non Muslims from a true appreciation of the beauty of Islam. The reported actions of such groups have been used by Islamophobes to further attack Islam and to deter people from appreciating this great faith of mercy, love and compassion.
It is the IS and people like this Abu Hafs who are “hindering men from Allah’s path”. The reported actions of IS are contrary to the teachings of Islam they hinder Muslims and non Muslims from a true appreciation of the beauty of Islam. The reported actions of such groups have been used by Islamophobes to further attack Islam and to deter people from appreciating this great faith of mercy, love and compassion.
