Melbourne, Australia - A KEY national Islamic body is to take the unprecedented step of writing to Muslim leaders to ask them to preach against terrorism and promote peace.
The move follows a call by Prime Minister John Howard for Muslim leaders to make it their "absolute responsibility" not to encourage inflammatory attacks or undermine basic community values of tolerance and freedom.
Mr Howard singled out Melbourne firebrand cleric Sheik Mohammed Omran for describing terror leader Osama bin Laden as a "good man" and saying the September 11 and London bombings were the work of Americans.
"It's an example of somebody who's saying something utterly unacceptable to the overwhelming majority of Australians including the overwhelming majority of Islamic Australians," Mr Howard told ABC radio today.
Sheik Omran has written to Mr Howard denying the claims and saying he wants to work to make Australia a safer place.
Australian Federation of Islamic Councils chief executive Amjad Mehboob said today that a letter would be sent this week to Muslim leaders and clergy asking for action within their communities to counter the growing debate.
"We are going to be asking community leaders and imams to address these issues in their sermons, to get the people to be united and to ensure there is no terrorism in Australia," Mr Mehboob said.
"We want them to generally speak about the fact that Islam doesn't promote these acts of violence and terrorism and the fact that we need to work together to ensure that (terrorism) doesn't happen.
"We are also wanting the wider community to know that the Muslim community is not sitting back – we need to work for unity and harmony in the wider society."
Mr Mehboob said there was concern in the Muslim community that a climate of fear was being created in the wake of the London bombings.
"I know the press today and radio especially they were full of attacks on Muslims – that we all should be sent home and immigration should be stopped and mosques should be closed down," Mr Mehboob said.
"This is out of nothing – nothing has happened, there's been no change in the last few days to warrant this kind of debate."
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley meanwhile called on Muslim leaders to repudiate support for terrorism.
"Bin Laden leads ... a cult of death and evil which perverts the noble faith of Islam and he should be given absolutely no currency in this society whatsoever," Mr Beazley said.
Most Australian Muslims were united in the need to stamp out extremism, he said.
Meanwhile, British security expert Sir John Wheeler, whom the Federal Government has hired to review airport security, said today that he would examine the need for more security cameras.
But Sir John said changes in security procedures, the vetting of airport workers and new equipment were not the solution to terrorism.
"Looking at the causes of terrorism is very important," Sir John said.
"Procedures to deal with the terrorist issue cannot succeed unless there is also an understanding of the causes."
Transport Minister Warren Truss said changes introduced after Sir John's inquiry could result in extra costs for travellers, but he believed the public would be willing to pay in the interest of greater safety.