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Senior figures in Sydney’s Muslim community deny children are being radicalized after a photo of a boy (above) with a sign calling for beheadings went viral.
Islamic community leaders deny their children are being radicalized after a mother whose young son held a sign calling for beheadings turned herself into police.
The woman went to police on Monday but NSW Family and Community Services Minister Pru Goward (above right) says the boy will stay with his parents.
“The police then went back to the house and assessed the children and assessed that they were safe so that is where they remain,” Ms Goward told ABC radio.
Senior Muslim community figures have condemned the action of the woman, whose boy was photographed holding a sign saying “Behead all those who insult the Prophet” at Saturday’s violent protest in Sydney against an anti-Islamic film.
The image quickly went viral, sparking community outrage and calls by Premier Barry O’Farrell for an investigation by the Department of Family Services.
Lebanese Muslim Association president Samier Dandan says while he welcomes the mother’s decision to go to police, he disapproves of the behavior.
“That’s something that we don’t encourage within our community, it’s something we condemn,” he told reporters at Lakemba mosque in Sydney’s west on Tuesday.
Mr Dandan said he would try to talk to the mother, but added he had been told the boy may have found the sign on the street and was “caught up in the hype” during the demonstrations.
“Does a child really understand what’s written on that placard?” he said.
Silma Ihram, a board member of the Australian Muslim Women’s Association, said she did not believe such incidents were widespread as she fronted the Lakemba news conference with Mr Dandan on behalf of 25 Muslim groups.
“I don’t believe that there is a radicalisation of children,” she said.
Ms Ihram said that in a democratic nation, parents should feel free to take their children to demonstrations.
“We don’t want to see a situation where people are afraid to take their children and participate,” she said.
Can you believe all this crap? The police decided the boy was safe with his mother. One Muslim authority suspects the boy found the sign in the street, Then he questions whether the boy knows what’s written on the sign (I guess because if he doesn’t then it is okay for him to have it. Then a board member of the Muslim Women’s Australian Assoc. comforts us by saying this practice is not widespread (so it’s okay). Unlike where this lady comes from, she thinks we should be free to take children to demonstrations and parents should not be made afraid to take them. (Well, they should, if they are going to put signs like this in their hands.)