Key Points
- Sheikh Hilali served 31 years as the imam of Lakemba Mosque.
- He also served more than two decades as grand mufti until 2007.
- He was jailed in 1999 by Egyptian authorities for smuggling antiquities to Australia, a charge he denied.
Former grand mufti of Australia Sheikh Taj El-Din Hilali has been described as a beacon of light at a time of division after his death aged 82.
A controversial figure during the mid-2000s when he publicly sparred with then-prime minister John Howard over the "War on Terror", the dual citizen died in Egypt on Thursday (AEDT).
The Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA) said Sheikh Hilali carried the weight of the Australian Muslim community on his "very broad shoulders and his even bigger heart" as he took up the fight to protect Islamic rights locally.
"Although residing in Egypt at the time of his passing, Sheikh Taj maintained close links with the Muslim community in Australia who loved and admired him so much and he remained a frequent and welcome visitor to Sydney," the association said in a statement.
Sheikh Hilali served 31 years as the imam of Lakemba Mosque, in southwest Sydney, and served more than two decades as grand mufti until 2007.
"The LMA and Lakemba Mosque will forever be indebted to you for your invaluable service and commitment to Islam in Australia," the association said.
"You were the beacon of light when our Ummah (community) was fractured."
During his time as the country's most senior Muslim leader, he condemned radical Islamic leaders in Australia and was also a vocal critic of Australia's participation in the Iraq War.
A Ramadan sermon in 2006 drew widespread condemnation after Sheikh Hilali compared lightly dressed women who were sexually assaulted to "exposed meat" and "the problem".
Sheikh Hilali later apologised for those comments, adding that men were responsible for their crimes.
He was jailed in 1999 by Egyptian authorities for smuggling antiquities to Australia, a charge he denied.
