[3][4] ANIC's vision with the Grand Mufti was to unite the Australian Islamic community under a single leader and promote harmony and integration between Muslims and non-Muslims.
He proposes the formation of a council of imams from different traditions such as Shia, Zaidi and Ismaili, and specialists in medicine, law and finance, stating this would be better source of guidance for Australian Muslims.
[7] According to Abou El Fadl, a Professor of Law at UCLA specialising in Islamic jurisprudence, a mufti must display five key qualities: “honesty, diligence, comprehensiveness, reasonableness, and self-restraint”, or be deemed not competent of inheriting the position.
[2] Abdalla (2011),[1] the founder of the Griffith Islamic Research Unit, recounts other qualifications deemed necessary for a mufti, such as a solid understanding of the Qur’an, Hadith literature and Arabic language, the ability to perform independent legal reasoning, and respect for the intellectual and political contexts of the host country.
In comparison to Muslim countries, Australia is predominantly a secular society,[2] and thus the Grand Mufti’s role is limited in that it is not state-appointed and instead managed by the Islamic body, Australian National Imams Council.
[1] The Grand Mufti of Australia in 2020, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed, has stated he values community harmony and intends to minimise Islamophobia and promote a culture of respect.
He blames Islamophobia for the 2019 Christchurch mass shooting, stating in an interview, “this criminal actor’s feelings were not formed yesterday, but as a result of political mobilization and hatred against Muslims from some irresponsible media figures and some senior politicians”.
[8] He also encourages Australian Muslims, especially the youth, to avoid seeking advice online, as foreign Islamic sites may not understand life in Australia or may spread extremist ideologies.
Australian Muslims are also from a variety of backgrounds, with around "two-thirds born overseas in countries such as Lebanon, Turkey, Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Pakistan, Indonesia, Iraq, Bangladesh, Iran, Fiji, Cyprus, Somalia, Egypt and Malaysia”.
[1] Abdalla (2011) and Black & Hosen (2009) therefore propose the formation of a collective body of scholars to lead the Australian Muslim community, with some imams issuing more progressive fatwas, and others more fundamentalist.