Bondi Beach attack: Prominent Brisbane Imam Uzair Akbar urges Muslims to stand beside Jewish ‘brothers and sisters’

An Islamic leader has called on his followers to support the Jewish community and stamp out any signs of extremism in the wake of Australia’s worst terror attack.

Imam Uzair Akbar spoke at the Holland Park Mosque in Brisbane just days after 50-year-old Sajid Akram killed 15 innocent people — allegedly alongside his son Naveed, 24 — at Bondi Beach on December 14.

Akbar’s sermon denounced the pair as “monsters” whose actions were a “great disservice to Islam”.

“Monsters, wretched people, came to violate the fabric of this beautiful country, in the name of faith, they took the life of innocent people,” he said.

“I will start off by saying, do not pray for them, do not pray for the murderers.

“They may be sharing the same faith and they may be, in their understanding, doing something for that faith. But they have done a great disservice to Islam.

“Anyone who takes the life of innocent people has nothing to do with faith.

“No faith, and especially the Abrahamic faiths, allow the taking of innocent lives.”

Akbar added Sajid, who was shot dead by police at the scene, had died “without faith” and should not receive prayers or support.

“According to Islamic tradition, there’s no hope (for Sajid),” he said.

“We know that if a person has left without faith — and we are certain that he has left without faith — there’s no rescue.

“There’s no salvation. There’s no redemption. There’s no dua (personal prayer made to Allah).”

Akbar was born in England and grew up in Pakistan and said the reaction to the attack would have been much different in the mostly-Islamic country.

“If anyone from their community, that they don’t approve of, does something similar to this — what took place in Bondi Beach — what would the Muslims in Pakistan do to that community?”.

“We will say we have nothing to do with this. It’s these two monsters that did it in the name of our faith, but we do not approve of it. No one will listen.

“We will burn their houses, we will murder every person.

“I’m not saying this out of emotion, this has happened.”

While praying for non-Muslims who have died is not allowed in Islam, Akbar said prayers should be made for those “in hospital right now” and “those that are grieving for the lost ones”.

The imam said the issue of extremism in Islam must be quashed “early before they escalate into violence”

“When such views go unchallenged, extremists feel empowered and begin to believe their cause is legitimate,” he told the Courier Mail.

“I feel deeply for my Jewish brothers and sisters affected by this tragedy.

“I want them to know that we stand with them in solidarity against anti-Semitism and violence.”