The grand mufti of Australia has condemned the murder of a French priest in Normandy who was killed in an attack linked to supporters of Islamic State.
The priest had his throat slit after being forced to kneel, and his two attackers filmed the attack described by the French president, François Hollande, as an act of murder.
A statement released by the Australian National Imams Council and the grand mufti of Australia said they expressed their condolences to the family.
Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, the grand mufti, said: “Isis is an evil organisation that has hijacked the religion of Islam for its own brutal and nihilistic goals. The betrayal of the Islamic faith and violation of its core principles are enough to refute Isis’s false and absurd claims.”
Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman, president of the council, said: “We should not allow the brutality of Isis to cause us to turn against each other nor create disunity.”
The grand mufti and the council have consistently condemned violent attacks by extremists. But some Australian news outlets have continued to suggest he has not been vocal enough in his opposition.
The grand mufti is suing the Daily Telegraph for defamation, alleging that the tabloid paper falsely imputed he was “an apologist for the terrorist attacks in Paris” and supported a violent Islamic holy war.