DAR AL HARB - AUSTRALIA: "UNCOVERED MEAT" SHEIK AL HILALI IS STARTING HIS OWN POLITICAL PARTY

Controversial sheik to set up own party
By Simon Kirby and Peter Jean

THE outspoken Muslim cleric who threatened to run candidates against the Labor Party at the NSW state election is considering setting up his own political party.

Sheik Taj al-Din al-Hilali failed to deliver on his threat to persuade independent Islamic candidates to nominate against western Sydney Labor MPs at the March 24 state election.

Today he said he had established a political committee of Muslim community elders and forming a party was the next step.

"There's a new committee with people who have some experience in politics and most certainly in the future there must be something along those lines," Sheik Hilali said on ABC radio through an interpreter.

The sheik is well known for sparking controversy, attracting criticism earlier this year for saying Australian Muslims are more entitled to the country than those with a convict heritage, and last year comparing scantily clad women to uncovered meat.

The sheik's friend and spokesman, Keysar Trad, said the new Islamic political party would be an organisation founded on universal human values and open to all faiths.

"It's not going to be a party of Muslims only and it's not going to be called the Muslim Party," Mr Trad said.

"The whole idea is to promote fairness across the board and specific values, such as honesty and dignity and equality.

"I think it's a good idea to establish a party that can act as an alternative for people who are no longer satisfied with the major parties."

NSW Premier Morris Iemma said if Sheik Hilali founded a political party it would fail to win the support of the Islamic community or other Australians.

"If he does do that he'll find that it won't receive support from the community, let alone the broader community, because they reject everything that he stands for," Mr Iemma said.

"(They will reject) what he says, what he stands for and the values that he holds."

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