Tracy Ann Oberman And A Fake Imam

Minor thesp Tracy Ann Oberman may not have been in the news of late, but she may just have - unwittingly, it seems - propelled herself into the realm of controversy. Ms Oberman has joined Children of Peace as on of the organisations’s “distinguished friends”. It’s a non-partisan charity “that focuses upon building friendship, trust and reconciliation between Israeli and Palestinian children” between the ages of four and 17.

Mohammad Tawhidi. Not really an Imam

There is more. “The charity was founded in 2003/4 by its President, Richard Martin, and formally launched in London in 2005, with the aim of protecting all of the children in the region - be they secular, Christian, Jewish or Muslim - from the arbitrary consequences of conflict”. Well-known actors, musicians, and indeed world leaders have lent their support.

Ms Oberman is clearly proud of her new status, telling her followers “I am honoured to join [Children of Peace] to bring dialogue and understanding between Palestinians and Israelis. This organisation does so much good please follow [Children of Peace] and be part of the solution”. Children of Peace has told “We welcome four new distinguished Friends - Imam Tawhidi, Dumisani Washington, Tracy-Ann Oberman & Jesseca Manville”.

Tracy Ann Oberman

Imam Tawhidi? As Fred Flintstone might have said, hold it … HOLD IT! IMAM TAWHIDI? That’s an embarrassing name. It’s the same name of the so-called “Imam of Peace”, who isn’t really an Imam at all, but a self-promoting fake. D’you know, it IS the same person. Which is not good for Ms Oberman, but shockingly bad news for Children of Peace.

Australia, where Tawhidi generally resides, knows all about the “Sheikh of shock”, or, more often, the “Fake sheikh”. As Chloe Patton observed, “Tawhidi is not recognised as an Imam or Sheikh by either the Australian National Imams Council or its South Australian equivalent, nor is he affiliated with any Australian mosque or prayer centre”.

This from his Wikipedia entry: “In February 2017, Tawhidi caused controversy when he appeared on an episode of Australian current affairs program Today Tonight. During the episode, he suggested that Islamic extremists were conspiring to set up a caliphate in Australia. He also made claims that these extremists planned to increase the Muslim population in Australia and rename streets after Islamic terrorists”.

Paul Barry, host of ABC Media Watch, concluded “we're not saying Tawhidi has no right to his opinions. But the media really should not be giving him a megaphone. Nor should they be presenting him as a voice of reason and the Imam of Peace, when it's clear that some of his views are divisive, offensive, abusive and just plain crazy”. And there’s more.

Mohammad Tawhidi is the go-to “Imam” for parts of the UK far-right, people like Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson. Tawhidi enables Lennon and his pals to claim that they can’t be Islamophobic bigots, because they’ve got a Muslim friend - who is also an Imam. Except, as Tawhidi is Shia, he cannot be an Imam.

As Imad Rostami pointed out, “there is only one Imam at a time in Shia theology, the head of the Entire community, at least in a spiritual context”. Tawhidi is a fake, a fraud, and it beggars belief why Children of Peace did not pick this up as part of due diligence.

So that organisation, and Ms Oberman, may well revisit their apparent endorsement.

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