Islamic scholar funded by taxpayer-backed muslim group on controversial speaking tour
A leading Muslim group, which has received millions in taxpayer funding from the Albanese Government, hosted a speaking tour by an Islamic scholar who compared Winston Churchill to Adolf Hitler.
A prominent Muslim group – which has received more than $7m in taxpayer funding from the Albanese Government – organised a speaking tour by an Islamic scholar in which he suggested Islam presents a “better solution” than democracy and claimed Winston Churchill was “no better” than Adolf Hitler.
The remarks were made by Islamic scholar and historian Adnan Rashid during an address to the Liverpool Islamic Centre in September – as part of an “Echoes of the Prophets” speaking tour promoted by United Muslims of Australia (UMA).
“Like Churchill said, democracy is the best system out of the worst ones. He said this. Democracy is the best system out of the worst ones. We say, do we even need it? We have a system that Allah gave to us. Okay. This is why Islam presents a better solution”, Mr Rashid said.
“They even have Churchill on the back of [the] five-pound note for some reason. Okay. Imagine having Hitler on the back of a ten pound-note … so Churchill, Winston Churchill, why don’t I see him to be better than Hitler? Does anyone know? Can you educate me? Why?”
Approached by The Sunday Telegraph for comment, Mr Rashid clarified his remark about democracy, but doubled down on his attack on Winston Churchill, blaming the wartime leader for the 1943 Bengal Famine, which caused the deaths of as many as three million Indians.
“Most democracies are failing to provide good healthcare, justice, and education to their citizens. This is a fact. I believe Islam helps us solve these problems. It is the best solution”, he said.
“Churchill (and his War Cabinet) had deliberately deprived the famine stricken people of Bengal from lifesaving food supplies in 1943 … Hitler, similarly committed a genocide against the Jewish people and killed over 6 million innocent human beings.”
“Both Hitler and Churchill were confirmed racists with racist crimes to their credit.”
UMA – which did not respond to The Sunday Telegraph’s request for comment – has received $7.7 million worth of taxpayer-funded grants from the Albanese Government, including a $1.6 million grant from the Department of Home Affairs to “provide young Muslim Australians with culturally informed youth services and pathways to positive community engagement.”
Labor frontbenchers Tony Burke and Jason Clare also announced a $10m grant for the UMA to complete the construction of its community centre during this year’s federal election campaign.
Jonno Duniam, the Coalition’s Home Affairs spokesman, told The Sunday Telegraph Mr Rashid’s rhetoric “has absolutely no place in our society, and it requires urgent condemnation from the Albanese Government.”
“The ASIO Director General recently said that anti-Semitism was his organisation’s number one priority in terms of threats to life, but the Albanese Labor Government is not taking the necessary actions to stamp it out”, Senator Duniam said.
The Sunday Telegraph approached Mr Burke for comment.
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Originally published as Islamic scholar funded by taxpayer-backed muslim group on controversial speaking tour
