Sydney, Australia - An Australian cleric who labelled Jews 'pigs' and urged Muslim children to die for their religion Friday claimed he was misunderstood and his remarks were taken out of context.
Sheik Feiz Mohammed, head of what he calls the Global Islamic Youth Centre in Sydney, was commenting on the content of videos for sale in Britain and Australia.
Mohammed, born in Australia but currently in Lebanon, the homeland of his parents, told The Australian newspaper in a telephone interview that he wasn't advocating violence.
'The jihad I speak of is not one of violence,' he told the paper. 'It's one of personal struggle against things like mischievousness, temptation and personal harm.'
In the videos, which allegedly were being sold by children outside mosques in Britain, the cleric says: 'We want to have children and offer them as soldiers defending Islam. Teach them this: There is nothing more beloved to me than wanting to die as a mujahid (holy warrior).'
Mohammed told the paper he regretted calling Jews 'pigs,' saying: 'It was not something I should have said and not something I believe.'
Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd described the content of the videos as an incitement to terrorism and urged the government to prosecute Mohammed. Police said they had opened an inquiry into the videos.
Community Relations Commission, a Sydney-based government body working in the realm of cultural diversity, has also called for the cleric to be charged over his recorded comments.