Al-Mustafa University Says that “Even Tawhidi has no basic seminary studies what to reach bachelor’s degree  and he is not competent to do religious activities or to preach sermons

WILAYAT TIMES DESK/SPECIAL REPORT

In the space of just 12 months, a man called Mohammad Tawhidi has come out of nowhere to become one of the most prominent Muslim voices in the Australian media.Imam Tawhidi claims to be a leader and a brave Muslim reformer.But strangely for a Muslim leader, he has very few supporters in the Muslim community.He has no base in common massed but only a handful of deviated followers. And just as curiously, he only appeared in the media for the first time just in 2016. So who was he before he became a media star?

Questionable qualifications

Mohammad Tawhidi dropped out of The Al-Mustafa International University in 2012, the institution said.

This is what Imam Tawhidi claims about his educational qualifications:

“I travelled to Iran, to the holy city of Qom, in 2007, and I engaged in my Islamic studies from there. I received my bachelor’s degree and my master’s degree in Islamic theology from the Al-Mustafa University.” Tawhidi, May 25, 2017

But Al-Mustafa International University in Iran says Imam Tawhidi has no bachelor’s degree from their university, let alone a master’s.

He started at the university, but dropped out.

In a letter issued few years ago, Al-Mustafa International University said:

“In spite of given warnings and notifications, the above-named person did not take heed of them each time and had not satisfactory academic record in his courses … he was placed on probation and [dropped] out on March 27, 2012 … the aforesaid person has no educational degree (or any given score) in his profile … Al-Mustafa University does not recommend Mohammad Touhidi for lecturing in any way. Accordingly, he has no competency to do religious activities or to preach sermons.”

His own teacher seems to contradict his teachings

Imam Tawhidi says he is a moderate Muslim reformer — but his very recent past shows he has connections to a religious leader who is anything but moderate.

After Imam Tawhidi dropped out of university, he fell in with a fringe seminary school in Iran, run by a controversial religious family known as the Shirazis.

Imam Tawhidi studied under its senior cleric, the Sayid Sadiq Husseini Shirazi, and later went to work in one of the Shirazi-run TV stations in Iraq.

In February 2016, when Imam Tawhidi set up his Islamic Association of South Australia in Adelaide, Syed Sadiq Shirazi put out a press release claiming a connection with Imam Tawhidi and this new Australian-based organisatio

However, the beliefs of Syed Sadiq Shirazi are not at all aligned with the moderate brand of Islam that Imam Tawhidi calls for when he appears on Australian television.

For example, Shirazi’ group is famous of opposing Islamic Republic of Iran & efforts of Unity by Iran and they are carrying many channels on which they all the time disrespecting sunni dignitaries.

So has Imam Tawhidi suddenly abandoned his past?

Here is what Imam Tawhidi says:

“I do not attribute myself to any to anyone, at all. Anyone at all. I am a free human being … Yes, I am a student of the Grand Ayatollah Sayid Sadiq Al-Husseini Shirazi and he crowned me … I am not a representative of the Grand Ayatollah Shirazi. What’s going on between me and the Sayid, that’s nobody’s business … I have his picture in my office, that doesn’t mean that I represent him or I speak on his behalf.”Mohammad Tawhidi, Facebook, June 19, 2017

While talking to Wilayat Times One of Prominent Kashmiri Religious Scholar has been witness to the eviction of some students who were not devoted to their studies even at the early level and Tawhidi was one among them. He further said that they had got admission before me long time and even I was about to finish my basic course still they were not paying attention to the warnings given to them for finishing their pending subjects by the authorities of Madrasa. Even their activities were not appropriate and suitable to that of seminary student.

Insults on social media

Imam Tawhidi’s use of social media has attracted both notoriety and attention for years.

In particular, he has been accused of posting inflammatory statements about revered figures from the Sunni sect of Islam.

In Australia, Sunni and Shia have a long history of peaceful co-existence — and many in Australia’s Muslim community don’t like people coming in and stirring the pot.

As per reports of Background Briefing A Facebook group was set up by Australian Shia Muslims tried to and expose Imam Tawhidi’s apparent sectarian tendencies. They outrightly said that “Here in Australia we all want to live in peace, whether we be whatever religion or whatever denomination”.

One of the admin of FB page said that “I go to a mosque that might be Shiite, or it might be Sunni, we are all brothers here trying to establish ourselves. We already have the bigots that hate Islam all together, and now we have someone trying to cause division within the Muslim community.”

Tawidi on social sites disrespecting Sunni dignitaries and creating discord among different sects. Meanwhile Grand Scholar especially Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamanei had issued a decree that disrespecting sunni dignitaries is Haram and termed the shia-sunni discord as a tool of enemy to weak Islam and Muslim nations. (Inputs-BB/WT)