Muslim leaders were not informed until after raids began

 

            Police outside Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Sydney's southwest last week. 

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), and the Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA), confirmed to SBS News on Thursday they were only told about the raids hours after they began — and after the media was alerted.

Bilal Rauf said the safety of Australians was paramount but believed police had not handled the matter sensitively.

"Such a high-handed police approach towards teenagers without and involvement of community elders and organisations or social workers risks entrenching and promoting violence amongst disillusioned youth; alienating communities; and creating distress and anxiety about the attempt to conflate what is occurring with religion, rather than misguided ideology," he said.