No wonder some Muslims won't speak out

One of the men arrested in Melbourne this week over an alleged terrorist plot has been investigated before over the alleged terrorising of a cleric’s son: ACCUSED terrorist Wissam Mahmoud Fattal was one of a group of men investigated over a brutal assault on the son of Australia’s highest-ranked Islamic cleric. The mufti’s son was attacked allegedly because his views were too moderate. The street bashing, during Ramadan last year, was investigated by police but no charges were laid… Mr Imam is the son of Sheik Fehmi Naji el-Imam, Australia’s Islamic mufti and the leader of the Preston mosque. Mr Imam, who is chief executive of the Islamic Council of Victoria, has declined to talk about the attack. That silence, and Imam’s failure to identify his attacker, is a pity. Still, it’s surprising that the Islamic Council has long been keen to play down the problem of radicals in its community, when its own leaders are getting bashed. (Note: There is no evidence that Fattal was behind the bashing, and he must also be presumed innocent of this week’s terrorism charges.) Andrew Bolt

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