Hardline Muslim clerics brainwashing young Aussies into joining Syrian civil war

Sydney, July 1 (ANI): Muslim leaders in Sydney are reportedly encouraging young Australians to join the Syrian civil war by provocative lectures to give their 'wealth and blood' to the cause.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, there has been evidence of provocative lectures given by community leaders and sheikhs, a move feared to exacerbate sectarian violence and which flouts federal laws banning the recruitment, funding, training or participation in the conflict in Syria and which carry up to 20 years imprisonment.

The report said that the al-Risalah Islamic bookshop in Bankstown has presented such provocative lectures by including one by one by Sheikh Omar El-Banna titled 'Syria is my responsibility' and another by Sheikh Abu Sulayman titled 'What is the least we can do for Syria?'.

Shiekh Abu Sulayman in his lecture called for the young men in the audience to give 'generous donations' to 'mujahideen' in Syria and said it was the obligation of each Muslim to join the 'jihad'.

In another lecture by Campbelltown Sheikh Jamil el-Biza said Shiites should be destroyed 'either with our hands or with our blood'.

The Australian Federal Police believes 150-200 Australians have travelled to Syria, with a significant proportion fighting with the resistance, about half of whom are with al-Qaeda aligned group Jabhat al-Nusra, listed as a terrorist organisation under Commonwealth laws.

Zaky Mallah, who runs an office for the Free Syrian Army said that he encourages Australians to go to Syria not to fight but to see the situation themselves and what to do after that rests with them.

Mallah agreed that young Australians who came into contact with terrorist groups in Syria were a big security risk on their return, but he questioned who was to blame and insists he has not broken federal laws banning the recruitment, funding, training or participation in the conflict adding that to experience the war itself gives one an in-depth understanding of the atrocities going on.

NSW police said that it had 'ongoing consultations' with the al-Risalah bookstore while the Australian Syrian Association representative accepted that some leaders were going extreme but the aim is only to help the Syrian people, the report added. (ANI)