The Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) an Australian Muslim

organisation An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

acting as the central representative body for the Muslim community and local Islamic organisations in

Victoria, Australia Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in Au ...

."About us."
''Islamic Council of Victoria''. Accessed October 30, 2014.

Activities

Community

The Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) is the peak Muslim body representing an estimated 200,000 Muslims in Victoria and over 70 member societies. ICV offer advocacy and social welfare services while leading state and national initiatives on cohesion and harmony through community consultations and advice to Government. It has experience in building meaningful engagements, partnerships and projects with over 70 organisations (both Muslim and non-Muslim) including over 20 Multifaith and Multicultural groups.

Condemnation of terrorism

The Council has issued multiple press releases condemning terrorism and have rejected the link between Islam and violence.

Zakat

The ICV collects and distributes

zakat Zakat ( ar, زكاة; , "that which purifies", also Zakat al-mal , "zakat on wealth", or Zakah) is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam as a religious obligation, and by Quranic ranking, is ne ...

to the Muslim community.

Court case

The ICV in ''Islamic Council of Victoria v Catch the Fire Ministries Inc.'' mounted one of the first cases under Victoria's 2001 Racial and Religious Tolerance Act. The Council sued an

Evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...

group for the vilification of Muslims. On 22 June 2005, Judge Michael Higgins of the

Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) was formed by the ''Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act'' 1998 in the state of Victoria, Australia. As part of the Victorian Justice system the Tribunal sits 'below' the Magistrat ...

delivered his final verdict on the religious vilification issue regarding remedies. He found that financial compensation would be inappropriate, but ordered Nalliah and Scot to take out newspaper advertisements to the value of $68,690 which summarised the findings in the case. Nalliah criticised the ruling, comparing the legislation to "

sharia law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the Five Pillars of Islam, religious precepts of Islam and is based on the Islamic holy books, sacred scriptures o ...

by stealth". He also said that he would rather go to jail than comply with the ruling. Lawyers for the defendants had previously appealed to the

Supreme Court of Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court comprises ...

, in an Originating Motion alleging that Higgins showed signs of bias, that there were errors in the decision, and that the act itself was unconstitutional. Following the decision, an appeal was lodged with the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court and the originating motion was dropped. The appeal was heard in August 2006.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty Becket Law (formerly the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty) is a non-profit public interest law firm based in Washington, D.C., that describes its mission as "defending the freedom of religion of people of all faiths." Becket promotes accommoda ...

, an interfaith

public interest The public interest is "the welfare or well-being of the general public" and society. Overview Economist Lok Sang Ho in his ''Public Policy and the Public Interest'' argues that the public interest must be assessed impartially and, therefore ...

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

based in Washington DC, had intervened on Pastor Scot's behalf, engaging in discussion with the

Attorney General of Australia The Attorney-GeneralThe title is officially "Attorney-General". For the purposes of distinguishing the office from other attorneys-general, and in accordance with usual practice in the United Kingdom and other common law jurisdictions, the Aust ...

, providing legal representation with local counsel, and providing legal arguments employed for the legal appeal. On 14 December 2006, the Supreme Court of Victoria, upheld the appeal and ordered that the matter be re-decided, without hearing new evidence, by a judge (other than Judge Higgins) of the

. The Islamic Council of Victoria was ordered to pay half of Scot's and Nalliah's legal costs of the appeal.

Use of religious authorities

Imam Sheikh Abdi Nur Weli serves as the organisation's "in-house Imam" and religious services coordinator. The Victorian Board of Imams is often consulted by the central committee in the course of its decision making process.

Executive committee

The executive committee is responsible for the governance of the Council and is voted in every two years."The Board."
''Islamic Council of Victoria''. Accessed October 30, 2014. The current board as of September 2017: * Adel Salman, President * Mohamed Mohideen, Vice President * Yusuf Zarani, Secretary * Milon Islam, Treasurer * Sacir Lacevic, Executive Member * Abdel Kareem, Executive Member * Inaz Janif, Executive Member * Sarah Baarini, Executive Member

Safe spaces for radical youth

The council proposed to create

safe space The term safe space refers to places "intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations". The term originated in LGBT culture, but has since expanded to include any place where a margi ...

s for radicalised youth. This idea came under fire from the premier of Victoria and the council's state funding came under review as a result."Vic Islamic Council funding under review."
(archived link)

References

{{reflist

External links

ICV official website
Islamic organisations based in Australia Organisations based in Melbourne