Mohammad Tawhidi

Tawhidi is a Shia Muslim, and was born in 1982 or 1983 in Qom, Iran, to Iraqi parents, who emigrated to Australia with his family to escape persecution under President Saddam Hussein. According to his office's website, Mohammad Tawhidi is a Shia scholar of Iraqi descent and a third-generation imam. He was ordained by the Grand Ayatollah Sadiq al-Shirazi and certified by the “Al-Rasul Seminary School in Qom and the Islamic Seminary of Karbala,” certifying competence and suitability for entrusted roles.” Tawhidi became disillusioned with anti-Western views during his time at Al-Mustafa and decided to leave the institution. He shifted his focus to addressing challenges within Islam through media, where his statements have drawn both support and criticism. Tawhidi advocates for reinterpreting Islamic texts in ways that align with modern human rights and societal values. He encourages scholars to adopt a flexible and contextual approach to help reduce extremism and foster better relationships with Western societies. He later co-founded Imam Hussein TV 3. He is fluent in Arabic, English, and Persian. ==Views==

Tawhidi had earlier held Sadiq Hussaini Shirazi as his marja taqlid. Since 2015, Tawhidi has stated that he does not subscribe to any particular religious leader. which he founded in 2016. Islam Tawhidi believes that Muslim societies should move away from extremist teachings and focus on reform. As an originalist, he advocates for restoring Islam to its core principles of worship and good deeds. He deems all acts of terrorism to be condemned in the Quran, and denounced extremist groups and ideologies such as the Islamic State and the Iranian regime as a political movement, not representative of the religion. In June 2017, after the jihadi terrorist attack in London, he described extremism as a "cancer" to the religion. He is critical of the treatment of women in some Muslim-majority countries, has called for the appointment of women to the Australian National Imams Council, and has rejected the compulsory wearing of the hijab in public. Tawhidi also opposes Muslims justifying domestic violence, polygamy and the killing of apostates on Islamic, jurisprudential, or legal grounds. in essence, he was not a reformist but a Shia radical. He maintains that a maligned interpretation of the corpus has been used as an ideological underpinning for terrorism. Tawhidi opposes Islamist ideologies, curricula, and institutions that distort the fundamental tenets and texts of Islam to promote extremism. He believes that institutions that govern Halal certification and educate Muslim youth must be led by individuals who respect and promote the peaceful nature of Islam. As such, Tawhidi has claimed that the agencies that controls halal certification to threaten the Australian way of life. Tawhidi was and remains very supportive of the establishment of new Islamic schools with peace-based curricula and Halal certification by moderate Islamic authorities. Tawhidi claimed that after presenting these ideas, he received threats from ISIS operatives in Australia, and that his car was vandalized, with “ISIS” cut into the side of the vehicle and the seats slashed. He was escorted to a safe house by the Police, for fear of retribution by the Muslim community. While he does not advocate for the expansion of current Israeli territory, he is on the record as stating that the territory claimed by Palestine along with Lebanon, Jordan, Northern Egypt, Syria, and Jewish land is established as holy by the Quran. ==Media attention==

Tawhidi's views have sparked both support and criticism, with some praising his efforts to promote dialogue and reform, while others accuse him of misrepresenting Islam. He continues to advocate for a peaceful and cooperative understanding of the religion. His statement also said that the Australian Government should review its laws on female headscarves was misinterpreted by ABC Australia. Tawhidi said that the consistent misinterpretation of his statements and positions by local media outlets inspired him to found the "Imams for Peace" organization. The WARP Summit coincided with the birthday of Lee Man-hee. He also made claims that these extremists planned to increase the Islamist population in Australia and rename streets after Islamic terrorists. Hidayatullah, established in the 1970s, is a self-described Islamic movement with no connection to Shaykh Syarif Hidayatullah (Sunan Gunungdjati), a founding figure of Islam in Indonesia. A statement from DPP ABI, an Indonesian Shia organisation, said Tawhidi was suspected of being a "takfiri" and they rejected his presence in Indonesia. The statement went on to say that Tawhidi's presence would undermine efforts to "achieve unity of the Muslims in the face of Zionism." In 2019 he was the first Shia Imam to "pay respects" at Auschwitz concentration camp. ==Reception==

Many Muslims find his public rhetoric divisive, claiming it alienates ordinary believers and exacerbates existing tensions between Muslim and non-Muslim communities. Tawhidi’s frequent appearances in Western media, where he often harshly criticizes some mainstream Islamic practices, have led some to label him as a tool for perpetuating Islamophobia. and Islamophobic groups. Tawhidi has been accused of being an ally of Australian far-right groups including the Australian Liberty Alliance as well as One Nation. and supported her stances on a temporary travel ban on individuals from the Middle East during periods of intense ISIS recruitment and escalating Islamist attacks in the UK. ==Legal issues==

On 4 November 2022, the Supreme Court of Victoria ordered Tawhidi to pay $20,000 in aggravated damages for making defamatory claims on Twitter that a man named Moustafa Awad was an "ISIS Promoter." The defamatory claims included an imputation that Awad used his position as a lawyer and migration agent to bring terrorists into the country. The incident began with Awad's social media comments, including, "I hope he spares a hero the trouble and takes his own life," and suggesting legislation should include "poisoning that c*** Tawhidi." In response, Tawhidi called on his followers to "report" Awad as an "extremist" and publicly shared Awad's contact details and business profiles. ==Notes==