(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Members of Gungahlin's evangelical community are distributing extremist material from overseas in their campaign against the construction of a mosque on The Valley Avenue.
A senior pastor at a Gungahlin evangelical church contacted The Canberra Times and supplied a video of far-right agitator Paul Weston, the chairman of the British Freedom Party.
In the eight-minute video, Mr Weston says Islam was ''worse than Nazism'' and claimed Islamic influence in Britain would lead to civil war.
The Gungahlin pastor declined to be interviewed yesterday, but said the video had been circulated via email through associates in the community.
The pastor added that their church was not involved in the anti-mosque campaign by the ''Concerned Citizens of Canberra''.
In the video, Mr Weston said: ''Islam in its most fundamental form is Nazism in its desire for global supremacy … In fact, Islam is even worse than Nazism''. Meanwhile, Australian Motorist Party candidate for Ginninderra Chic Henry said he would still support a Canberra Liberals government, despite Opposition Leader Zed Seselja writing a letter of support for the mosque to Canberra Muslim Community Inc.
Mr Henry, and fellow motorist party candidate Burl Doble, a former federal One Nation Party candidate, have both said they oppose the mosque.
In his letter to Canberra Muslim Community Inc, Mr Seselja said: ''Freedom of worship is one of the most basic beliefs of the Liberal Party and we fully support the right of the Muslim people to build a place of worship in Gungahlin''.
''While I support the right of people to object to any development through proper government channels, I do not support opposition to the mosque based on religious grounds.''
Mr Henry, who opposes the development because of its potential to create traffic congestion in Gungahlin, said the letter did not change his position and he would still support the Canberra Liberals in government.
''I have said that I, personally, would support the Liberal Party in government,'' he said.
''I'm not speaking on behalf of the party.
''We would make our decisions depending on what issue is being discussed at any given time.
''We must maintain a unique position that we will move as a party in whatever direction we believe supports the community at a particular time.''
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A senior pastor at a Gungahlin evangelical church contacted The Canberra Times and supplied a video of far-right agitator Paul Weston, the chairman of the British Freedom Party.
In the eight-minute video, Mr Weston says Islam was ''worse than Nazism'' and claimed Islamic influence in Britain would lead to civil war.
The Gungahlin pastor declined to be interviewed yesterday, but said the video had been circulated via email through associates in the community.
The pastor added that their church was not involved in the anti-mosque campaign by the ''Concerned Citizens of Canberra''.
In the video, Mr Weston said: ''Islam in its most fundamental form is Nazism in its desire for global supremacy … In fact, Islam is even worse than Nazism''. Meanwhile, Australian Motorist Party candidate for Ginninderra Chic Henry said he would still support a Canberra Liberals government, despite Opposition Leader Zed Seselja writing a letter of support for the mosque to Canberra Muslim Community Inc.
Mr Henry, and fellow motorist party candidate Burl Doble, a former federal One Nation Party candidate, have both said they oppose the mosque.
In his letter to Canberra Muslim Community Inc, Mr Seselja said: ''Freedom of worship is one of the most basic beliefs of the Liberal Party and we fully support the right of the Muslim people to build a place of worship in Gungahlin''.
''While I support the right of people to object to any development through proper government channels, I do not support opposition to the mosque based on religious grounds.''
Mr Henry, who opposes the development because of its potential to create traffic congestion in Gungahlin, said the letter did not change his position and he would still support the Canberra Liberals in government.
''I have said that I, personally, would support the Liberal Party in government,'' he said.
''I'm not speaking on behalf of the party.
''We would make our decisions depending on what issue is being discussed at any given time.
''We must maintain a unique position that we will move as a party in whatever direction we believe supports the community at a particular time.''
/129