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John Howard has suggested Australians should start treating controversial Muslim cleric Sheik Taj Din Alhilali as "a joke" after he claimed he was more of an Aussie than the Prime Minister.
He told Southern Cross Broadcasting yesterday that the sheik should be removed from his position because he brought ridicule upon the Islamic community.
Howard said he was untroubled by comments, attributed to the sheik in the Australian newspaper, in which Alhilali said he respected Australian values more than the Prime Minister.
"Well, I'm tempted to say we should start treating the man as a joke and in relation to his comments about me, well, I've been insulted by experts so I'm rather untroubled by them," Howard said.
"But there is still a serious issue with this man - he's still holding a position of some influence and responsibility in the Islamic community and it remains important, as I've said repeatedly, for that community to remove him from any position of influence in their own interests because he is bringing ridicule upon them and I don't like that occurring."
The sheik told the Australian he had spent 50 years promoting peace and accused Howard of running a dictatorship.
"It's a disgrace for the leader of a democratic country to be picking on religious people, especially one who is practising a form of dictatorship that could almost be Saddam Hussein-like," Alhilali was quoted as saying.
"I respect Australian values more than he does. Australian people like peace and they like humanitarian welfare and they are attracted to just causes."
Labor leader Kevin Rudd yesterday urged the Government to review Alhilali's Australian citizenship following his latest remarks.
In an uncharacteristic defence of Howard, Rudd blasted the controversial Islamic cleric.
He said, "As you know, I'm not a natural supporter of the Prime Minister, but Mr Howard is as Australian as I am.
"The sheik is out there, I think, just seeking crazy publicity, as he seems to do on a daily basis."
Muslim leaders are in the process of finding a replacement for Alhilali.
- AAP
