Gold9472
08-23-2005, 09:12 AM
Summit leader's 9/11 'plot' theory
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16352495%5E2702,00.html
Trudy Harris
August 23, 2005
ONE of the Islamic leaders meeting John Howard today suspects September 11 was a conspiracy and asks "why did 4000 Jews not show up for work" on the day of the attacks?
Abdul (Ray) Rahman Deen also says there were no black box flight recorders found in the wreckage of the World Trade Centre after hijacked planes were flown into the twin towers, killing thousands.
Mr Deen, who is a development officer for the Liberal Party, says it was therefore wrong to blame any group for September 11 "without full facts and evidence".
The comments are contained in a letter sent recently to the nine core members of the peak Muslim body, Australian Federation of Islamic Councils.
Mr Deen, whose family operates a demolition company in Queensland, issued a statement saying the comments were views expressed in the community about conspiracy theories, rather than his own.
Mr Howard said he was pleased Mr Deen had clarified the comments, but AFIC president Ameer Ali, who received the letter, disagreed with Mr Deen saying the comments in the letter were clearly Mr Deen's personal views.
"There are many people who believe this in the community. This a problem and one that we need to confront," Dr Ali said.
His comments are a severe blow to the 13 Muslim leaders arriving in Canberra for today's summit with the Prime Minister.
The summit, announced in the wake of the London bombings, aims to tackle the spread of intolerance and hatred -- and thereby reduce the threat of a terrorist attack in Australia.
The leaders are keen to reveal concerns and problems within their communities, such as a lack of Muslim social workers for youths who were most vulnerable to any radical Islamic teachings.
One of the leaders, Yasmin Khan, said more Muslim social workers were needed to help young people access services and integrate into mainstream society.
"It's all right to say 'Well, there's mainstream groups, there's Lifeline and the police'. That's terrific if you are like me and have been born and bred in this country," said Ms Khan, who is launching an Islamic social welfare group in Brisbane.
"But for a Muslim child who has been here for 10 or 15 years ... who is still trying to understand their religion and their culture and how it fits into this society, there is a problem with accessing mainstream groups or even knowing they exist."
About 20 Islamic groups, including fundamentalist ones, who are not attending the summit have requested that the leaders address key concerns including Australia's military role in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mr Deen said his comments in the letter aired on Channel 10 had been taken out of context.
"It was an internal document sent to members of the Federation of Islamic Councils board and restated the complex range of views that some in our community hold about a variety of matters," Mr Deen said in the statement. But Mr Deen reiterated to The Australian yesterday no clear evidence existed that Osama bin Laden was responsible for the attacks.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16352495%5E2702,00.html
Trudy Harris
August 23, 2005
ONE of the Islamic leaders meeting John Howard today suspects September 11 was a conspiracy and asks "why did 4000 Jews not show up for work" on the day of the attacks?
Abdul (Ray) Rahman Deen also says there were no black box flight recorders found in the wreckage of the World Trade Centre after hijacked planes were flown into the twin towers, killing thousands.
Mr Deen, who is a development officer for the Liberal Party, says it was therefore wrong to blame any group for September 11 "without full facts and evidence".
The comments are contained in a letter sent recently to the nine core members of the peak Muslim body, Australian Federation of Islamic Councils.
Mr Deen, whose family operates a demolition company in Queensland, issued a statement saying the comments were views expressed in the community about conspiracy theories, rather than his own.
Mr Howard said he was pleased Mr Deen had clarified the comments, but AFIC president Ameer Ali, who received the letter, disagreed with Mr Deen saying the comments in the letter were clearly Mr Deen's personal views.
"There are many people who believe this in the community. This a problem and one that we need to confront," Dr Ali said.
His comments are a severe blow to the 13 Muslim leaders arriving in Canberra for today's summit with the Prime Minister.
The summit, announced in the wake of the London bombings, aims to tackle the spread of intolerance and hatred -- and thereby reduce the threat of a terrorist attack in Australia.
The leaders are keen to reveal concerns and problems within their communities, such as a lack of Muslim social workers for youths who were most vulnerable to any radical Islamic teachings.
One of the leaders, Yasmin Khan, said more Muslim social workers were needed to help young people access services and integrate into mainstream society.
"It's all right to say 'Well, there's mainstream groups, there's Lifeline and the police'. That's terrific if you are like me and have been born and bred in this country," said Ms Khan, who is launching an Islamic social welfare group in Brisbane.
"But for a Muslim child who has been here for 10 or 15 years ... who is still trying to understand their religion and their culture and how it fits into this society, there is a problem with accessing mainstream groups or even knowing they exist."
About 20 Islamic groups, including fundamentalist ones, who are not attending the summit have requested that the leaders address key concerns including Australia's military role in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mr Deen said his comments in the letter aired on Channel 10 had been taken out of context.
"It was an internal document sent to members of the Federation of Islamic Councils board and restated the complex range of views that some in our community hold about a variety of matters," Mr Deen said in the statement. But Mr Deen reiterated to The Australian yesterday no clear evidence existed that Osama bin Laden was responsible for the attacks.