The chairman of the Parramatta mosque, where a teenager prayed before shooting dead a police employee, says Muslims who reject Australian values should "get out".
In his first sermon since 15-year-old Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar shot and killed Curtis Cheng outside the Parramatta police headquarters last week, Neil El-Kadomi told hundreds of worshippers gathered for Friday prayers that "if you don't like Australia, leave".
The Parramatta mosque chairman had invited media into the mosque in an effort to quell tensions stemming from last week's terror attack, and before a protest planned for later in the day by the anti-Islamic Party for Freedom.
The protest, which has not been sanctioned by authorities, has prompted police to warn of road closures between 4pm and 7pm.
Mr El-Kadomi, speaking after prayers, said many Muslim people had waited a long time to come to Australia.
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"You should not abuse the privilege you are Australian, which is very important," he told reporters just outside the prayer room.
"Get out. We do not need scumbags in the community."
He rejected suggestions the mosque was a breeding ground for extremism.
"I'm not hiding anything. You see in the mosque, there's not guns in it," he said.
"We reject terrorism."
Earlier, as he arrived at the mosque, Mr El-Kadomi said Muslim youth needed to be educated, adding that Jabar was too young "to know what he was doing".
Mr El-Kadomi also said he was not concerned about the protest.
"We can go inside the mosque, close the door, and don't fight each other."
But he also said the various sectors of the community needed better lines of communication, including between Muslim people and government.
"We have a language barrier between us and the prime minister," he said.
"We like the prime minister, we like the government ... we love our country."
