From the Australian, with thanks to all who sent this in.
ONE of the Islamic leaders meeting John Howard today suspects September 11 was a conspiracy and asks “why did 4000 Jews not show up for work” on the day of the attacks?
Abdul (Ray) Rahman Deen also says there were no black box flight recorders found in the wreckage of the World Trade Centre after hijacked planes were flown into the twin towers, killing thousands.
Mr Deen, who is a development officer for the Liberal Party, says it was therefore wrong to blame any group for September 11 “without full facts and evidence”.The comments are contained in a letter sent recently to the nine core members of the peak Muslim body, Australian Federation of Islamic Councils.
Mr Deen, whose family operates a demolition company in Queensland, issued a statement saying the comments were views expressed in the community about conspiracy theories, rather than his own.
Mr Howard said he was pleased Mr Deen had clarified the comments, but AFIC president Ameer Ali, who received the letter, disagreed with Mr Deen saying the comments in the letter were clearly Mr Deen’s personal views.
“There are many people who believe this in the community. This a problem and one that we need to confront,” Dr Ali said.
His comments are a severe blow to the 13 Muslim leaders arriving in Canberra for today’s summit with the Prime Minister.
The summit, announced in the wake of the London bombings, aims to tackle the spread of intolerance and hatred – and thereby reduce the threat of a terrorist attack in Australia…