Sheik a danger on paper
Cameron Stewart and Richard Kerbaj
ON paper, he is now Australia's most dangerous sheik. No other Islamic cleric in the nation can claim as many unfortunate connections to extremists and terrorists as the former boxer from Sydney's west, 37-year-old Feiz Mohamed.
The notorious reputation of this one-time street kid and alcoholic was sealed this week when it was revealed that four Australians arrested in Lebanon for suspected extremist activities were proteges of the hardline Sheik Feiz.
Najat Elomar, the wife of one of the detained Australians, told The Weekend Australian from Tripoli last night that she was aware of Sheik Feiz's reputation but said he had not been in Lebanon during their visit.
She said of the arrest of her husband Ahmed, a reigning Australian champion boxer: "Sometimes innocent people get arrested for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Sheik Feiz's former students and friends include the nation's first convicted terrorist, Jack Roche; the founders of Jemaah Islamiah in Australia, the Ayub brothers; Zac Mallah, who was acquitted after becoming the first person to be charged under Australia's tough new terror laws;
Rabiyah Hutchison, whose sons have been deported from Yemen; controversial hardline cleric Sheik Mohammed Orman; and most of those now facing terror charges in Sydney and Melbourne.
But who is this low-profile cleric who has built a cult-like following among troubled Lebanese youths in Sydney's southwestern suburbs?
Unlike some of his fellow hardliners, Sheik Feiz is a complex character who is not easily stereotyped. Despite his connections, he maintains an unusually close and cordial relationship with ASIO and the AFP.
Despite living mostly in Lebanon since late 2005, Sheik Feiz has remained in regular contact with Australian authorities, who believe he has the power to both inflame and tame some of his hothead followers.
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