Sheik Feiz Mohammad: 'I'm no hater'

20 Sep 2012, 10:00 am   -   Source: AAP
Sheik Feiz Mohammad has courted controversy in recent years and in 2007 produced DVDs that called for the murder of 'infidels' and described Jews as 'pigs'. (MuslimVillage.com)

Sheik Feiz Mohammad has courted controversy in recent years and in 2007 produced DVDs that called for the murder of 'infidels' and described Jews as 'pigs'. (MuslimVillage.com)

A controversial Muslim cleric says he has been unfairly blamed for weekend violence and called on media to stop rehashing comments he has made in the past.

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A controversial sheik whose planned lecture on Sydney's violent Muslim protest was cancelled at the last minute says he should be judged on who he is today.

Sheik Feiz Mohammad has courted controversy in recent years and in 2007 produced DVDs that called for the murder of "infidels" and described Jews as "pigs".

He has also said that raped women only have themselves to blame.

In a video posted on the Muslim Village website, Sheik Mohammad said he would not retract his past comments.

However, he said he is a wiser man now than he was five years ago.

"Life teaches you a lot of things and, as they say, it's only through experience you become wise," he said.

"So, not that I retract what I have said in the past, but I now am wiser than I was in the past."

Sheik Mohammad said his passionate teaching style had been misunderstood in the past.

"I'm a passionate speaker, and that passion does not mean that I am a violent person, or that I am a hater," he said.

He said "a lot of benefit" had come out of his past teachings, but the media needed to move on "instead of rehashing that which was said a long time ago, in times of emotion, in times of sensitivity".

"Let's forget what has happened and let us focus on today," he said.

The sheik also repeated his condemnation of the weekend protest, which was prompted by the YouTube film Innocence of Muslims and resulted in eight arrests.

Sheik Mohammad was to deliver an address on "responsibility" of Muslims in the relation to the film on Wednesday night but the lecture was cancelled at the last minute.

Several sources within the Muslim community told AAP that the meeting was cancelled because of pressure on Sheik Mohammed.

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