The extent of new mufti Sheik Fehmi Naji el-Imam’s academic qualifications was always going to be an issue. According to Richard Kerbaj in today’s Oz, Sheik Fehmi has the equivalent of a high school education in Islamic sacred law.

That may well be the case. Then again, my sources tell me that Fehmi’s predecessor, Sheik Hilaly, had qualifications up to the level of doctorate. But instead of qualifications in law, Sheik Hilaly’s qualifications were in Arabic language and Islamic literature.

One of the sheiks approached by The Oz , Abdul Nasser Shamsin, acknowledges he had the same qualification when he moved to Australia. Since then, he has obtained a PhD in Islamic studies at the University of Sydney. However, even when he was a “mere” post-graduate student, Sheik Shamsin was still performing the duties of an imam, issuing advice on the relationship between Islamic sacred law and the Australian law.

In this respect, many imams must surely be treading a fine line. It is the law of all Australian states and territories that only legal practitioners with current practising certificates are permitted to give legal advice. If an imam advises someone about how Islamic sacred law on an issue (eg. divorce) fits into Australian law, arguably that imam is committing an offence. I’d say that is a potentially more pressing legal issue than that of religious leaders tipping off security officials about one of their parishioners.

What all this raises is the issue of accreditation. There are a number of imams who simply have no formal qualifications in the sacred law. However, they have lived in Australia since the ‘50s and ‘60s and were appointed imams of their communities because they were more qualified than the rest of the community and because they adequately served the needs of a community lacking the funds to “import” a more qualified individual.

The Oz also needs to reconsider the qualifications, accreditation and knowledge base of those reporting on this issues. Kerbaj once again refers to imams as “clerics”. He also repeats the same mistake of describing the new mufti as “Australia’s new Muslim spiritual leader”.

My dear Dicky, when are you going to learn? Sheik Fehmi may only have the equivalent of high school qualifications, but I’d recommend Sheik Kerbaj consider enrolling in an Islamic pre-school before any further embarrassing errors are made.