Factional division among Australian imams has erupted into a spat over who is the nation's highest ranked Muslim.
Former Sheik Taj El-Din Hilaly, who was the Grand Mufti from the 1980s until 2007, was on Friday declared Grand Mufti for a second time by a group of imams, though it is unclear how many.
A Facebook post by the Logan Mosque in Queensland said the sheikh's new role had been declared by "the Imams and the Presidents of Islamic Societies" and that "after a long discussion" the sheikh, now in his 80s, had accepted the position.
However, on Saturday the Australian National Imams Council said it is the only body that elects the Grand Mufti and that the current Grand Mufti is Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed.
The Council of Imams Queensland and the Islamic Council of Queensland also issued statements saying Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed is the only legitimately appointed Grand Mufti.
"CIQ and ICQ would like to urge Muslim community members to refrain from divisive actions that may cause confusion and disharmony," ICQ vice president Ali Kadri said.
Dr Mohamed was appointed interim Grand Mufti in July after the death of the previous leader Sheikh Abdul Azeem al-Afifi. This is his second stint as Grand Mufti, as he held the role prior to Sheikh al-Afifi.
Mr Kadri told AAP the appointment of Sheikh Taj was an illegitimate, rogue move led by Jamal El Kholed at the Logan Mosque and had come out of long-held discontent with the appointments of both Dr Mohamed and the late Sheikh al-Afifi.
He said the attempt to install Sheikh Taj on Friday was an effort to undermine the office of the Grand Mufti.
It was also a move against a "new guard" of Australian Islamic leaders who are proficient English speakers and relate to the Australian way of life, he said.
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