Islamic Council of Victoria
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The Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) an Australian Muslim organisation acting as the central representative body for the Muslim community and local Islamic organisations in Victoria, Australia.[1]
Contents
Activities
Community
The Islamic Council of Victoria represents more than 150,000 Muslims residing in the state of Victoria. The council also represents some 47 member organisations located throughout metropolitan Melbourne and rural Victoria.[1]
Condemnation of terrorism
The Council has issued multiple press releases condemning terrorism and have rejected the link between Islam and violence.[2]
Zakat
The ICV collects and distributes zakat to the Muslim community.[3]
Court case
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The ICV in Islamic Council of Victoria v Catch the Fire Ministries Inc. mounted one of the first cases under Victoria's 2001 Racial and Religious Tolerance Act. The Council sued an Evangelical Christian group for the vilification of Muslims.[4][5][6]
On 22 June 2005, Judge Michael Higgins of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal delivered his final verdict on the religious vilification issue regarding remedies. He found that financial compensation would be inappropriate, but ordered Nalliah and Scot to take out newspaper advertisements to the value of $68,690 which summarised the findings in the case. Nalliah criticised the ruling, comparing the legislation to "sharia law by stealth". He also said that he would rather go to jail than comply with the ruling. Lawyers for the defendants had previously appealed to the Supreme Court of Victoria, in an Originating Motion alleging that Higgins showed signs of bias, that there were errors in the decision, and that the act itself was unconstitutional. Following the decision, an appeal was lodged with the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court and the originating motion was dropped. The appeal was heard in August 2006.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, an interfaith public interest law firm based in Washington DC, had intervened on Pastor Scot's behalf, engaging in discussion with the Attorney General of Australia, providing legal representation with local counsel, and providing legal arguments employed for the legal appeal.[citation needed] On 14 December 2006, the Supreme Court of Victoria, upheld the appeal and ordered that the matter be re-decided, without hearing new evidence, by a judge (other than Judge Higgins) of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.[7] The Islamic Council of Victoria was ordered to pay half of Scot's and Nalliah's legal costs of the appeal.
Use of religious authorities
Imam Sheikh Abdi Nur Weli serves as the organisation's "in-house Imam" and religious services coordinator.[8]
The Victorian Board of Imams is often consulted by the central committee in the course of its decision making process.[8]
Executive committee
The executive committee is responsible for the governance of the Council and is voted in every two years.[8]
The current board as of October 2014:
- Ghaith Krayem, President
- Bayram Aktepe, Vice President
- Seyfi Seyit, Secretary
- Mohamed Mohideen, Treasurer
- Nadeem Hussain, Executive Member
- Mohamed Elrafihi, Executive Member
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "About us." Islamic Council of Victoria. Accessed October 30, 2014.
- ↑ Akbarzadeh, Shahram, and Bianca Smith. "The representation of Islam and Muslims in the media." Islam in the Media. Monash University. (2005). http://asiainstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/571112/Islam-in-the-Media.pdf
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- ↑ Ellinson, Katie. "Human Rights: Exercising permissible limits on free speech." Law Society Journal. Australian Human Rights Commission. April, 2005.
- ↑ Hussein, Shakira. "They do not vilify out ideas, they vilify us: a reply to Salman Rushdie." Open Democracy: Free thinking for the free world. 23 February, 2005.
- ↑ Sway, Mustafa Abu. "Islamophobia: Meaning, Manifestation, Causes." Palestine-Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture 12, no. 2&3 (2005).
- ↑ Court of Appeal (Supreme Court of Victoria) decision Dec 2006 - overturning VCAT decision
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "The Board." Islamic Council of Victoria. Accessed October 30, 2014.
