Sri Lankan-born Christian preacher and wannabe senator Daniel Nalliah considers himself a defender of moderate Muslims.
In fact The Rise Up Australia Party leader - who's vying for a Victorian Senate seat on Saturday - believes he's helped mollify the views of far-right groups who've had Australian Muslims in their sights.
Those groups include the United Patriots Front, whose stated objective is to provide "political resistance against the spread of Islam and far-Left treason".
"I've spoken to them, to (UPF leader) Blair Cottrell several times," the Australian citizen tells AAP.
"My connection with them has possibly helped them understand that we are not fighting a people's group, we are fighting an ideology.
"Jesus said to love the sinner but not the sin. I love the Muslim people but not the ideology."
Mr Nalliah has been a willing speaker at events organised by Reclaim Australia, whose call to action is to stand up to radical Islam.
Most recently, on Sunday, he chanted "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!" to a cheering crowd at a Melbourne rally.
The rally, promoted as a celebration of the Australian flag, was organised by The True Blue Crew, a self-described "pro-Australian group against the islamisation of our country, open border policies, refugees, asylum seekers and the left wing".
The event went ahead, amid a heavy police presence, after the opposing Campaign Against Racism and Fascism planned its own march.
Australian flags were burnt in the street. Scuffles broke out. A news photographer was attacked.
The fallout includes new laws, foreshadowed by the Victorian government, to punish masked "cowards" who commit violence in public places.
Mr Nalliah says there was no sign of unrest during his address, when he led the crowd in a rendition of the national anthem and told them: "If you are an immigrant in Australia, assimilate with the Australian way of life and culture.
"If you think where you come from is better than where you are coming to then shut up, back up and get out!"
Mr Nalliah, who has lived in Australia since 1997, says his message is a simple one: All Australians, regardless of ethnicity or religion must assimilate and adopt the Australian way of life when they choose to live here.
For Australian Muslims, he says that means religious reformation and a rejection of "extreme" elements of Islam, including Sharia law.
He says moderate Muslims do understand his message, and the effect those with extreme views of Islam are having on their lives.
"I'd like to see Muslim leaders come out on the rooftop of the mosques and say if you are doing jihad you're not going to heaven, you're going to hell.
"In my heart I feel I am a champion for many Muslims who are thinking what I'm thinking."
But the Lebanese Muslim Association has criticised Mr Nalliah, saying he has little understanding of Islam or challenges faced by Muslims in Australia.
"We reject his attempts at 'talking' to far right groups on behalf of the Muslim community as he is not a representative of the Australian Muslim community, nor does he show any kind of understanding of the experiences and challenges Muslims face," a spokesperson told AAP.
"We also reject his divisive and discriminatory use of the 'extreme' and 'moderate' Muslims dichotomy, and call upon Mr Nalliah and his party to abandon their bigoted policies and positions."
Share
