The grand mufti of Australia is suing Sydney’s Daily Telegraph for defamation over two stories and a front page it ran in the aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks depicting him as the three “unwise” monkeys.
A statement of claim was filed in the New South Wales supreme court on Friday alleging the News Corp tabloid had suggested Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed was “an apologist for the terrorist attacks in Paris”, a supporter of “violent Islamic holy war” and had deliberately refused to attend a vigil after the attacks, among other claims.
The newspaper’s front page on 18 November depicted Mohammed, the most senior Sunni Muslim scholar in Australia, in three poses covering his eyes, ears and mouth, with the caption: “Sees no problems, hears no concerns, speaks no English.”
Wednesday's #Sydney Daily Telegraph front page: THE UNWISE MUFTI #nsw #Australia pic.twitter.com/ldSNb7k4Yd
— ⓒⓕ (@cfmcfc) November 18, 2015
The two stories were headlined “The unwise mufti” and “Even Hamas condemn the Paris attacks so why won’t Australia’s Grand Mufti Ibrahim Abu Mohammed?”
Mohammed had issued a statement two days after the 13 November attacks saying he “mourn[ed] the loss of innocent lives” and conveyed his “deepest condolences to the families and friends of the deceased”.
A statement on his Facebook page the previous day had read, in relation to the attacks and another bombing in Beirut: “There are no words to truly describe the devastation of these acts but we will continue in solidarity and pray for peace.”
A line in his Monday statement also pointed to what he believed were the “causative factors” of terrorism, including “racism, Islamophobia, curtailing freedoms through securitisation, duplicitous foreign policies and military intervention”.
The Daily Telegraph claimed in both stories that Mohammed had shown a “stubborn refusal to condemn the Paris terror attacks” and accused him of “snubbing” a requiem mass held in the aftermath, attended on his behalf by the head of the Muslim Women’s Association, Maha Abdo.
The Australian National Imam’s Council said in a statement its lawyers had “clearly and succinctly raised concerns regarding the article with News Corp” and provided opportunities to make amends.
But the news outlet had shown a “completely failure to engage with the grand mufti or his representatives”, it said.
The lawsuit asks for general and aggravated damages and that the allegedly defamatory stories be taken down.
News Corp Australia has been contacted for comment.
