Ibrahim Abu Mohamed

Ibrahim Abu Mohamed is the Grand Mufti of Australia, appointed by the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), and chairs its Australian Fatwa Council. He was elected Mufti in 2011 and served until 2018, then returned to the role after his successor, Abdel Aziem Afifi, died four months into his tenure.

In December 2012 he led a delegation of Australian imams and community leaders to Gaza. The ABC reported that local television showed him meeting Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on 26 December 2012. In April 2013 he met Yusuf al-Qaradawi in Doha; Qatari media published a photo of the meeting (The Australian, 16 December 2015). The same report said his name and ANIC's appeared on a petition calling on Interpol to drop a notice against al-Qaradawi; his spokeswoman declined to say whether he had signed it.

In March 2025 the International Union of Muslim Scholars issued Fatwa No. 3, calling for jihad against Israel and for Muslims to fund the fight. Its list of participating committee members names "Sheikh Ibrahim Abu Mohamed" as member number three. The fatwa page was later removed from IUMS's website; an archived copy is held by The Evidence Project. IUMS's own website, in a 2023 interview, describes him as Grand Mufti of Australia since 2011. The Daily Telegraph reported that he was appointed to the IUMS board of trustees in 2019, is affiliated with its Committee for Ijtihad and Fatwa, and chairs its Committee for Muslim Minorities and Humanitarian Issues; IUMS lists him as a participating member on several of its fatwas.

ANIC administers the federal Security Uplift for Muslim Communities program, which funds security measures such as cameras, fences and guards at Muslim places of worship, schools and community centres (Department of Home Affairs; ANIC). On 21 November 2025 the Daily Telegraph reported on its front page, under the headline "$27m to jihad cleric" (James King), that ANIC had been given $27m under the program, "delivered without government announcement through a 'closed non-competitive' process where no other group was allowed to apply". The report (James King, published online 21 November 2025, front page and page 11) said the grant began flowing about 12 weeks after the March 2025 fatwa. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke did not comment on the fatwa; in a statement he said "Jewish and Muslim communities are at a heightened risk at the moment" and "the government makes no apology for having specific programs for these communities". Opposition home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam criticised the grant. The Telegraph stated that it did "not suggest ANIC or its other leaders endorse Dr Mohamad's positions", and said ANIC and Dr Mohamed were repeatedly approached for comment.

Grant records reported by News24.com.au (4 October 2026) show a $24.75 million grant and a $2.75 million variation for the program. The Department of Home Affairs describes it as a $25 million investment over three years to improve security at Muslim faith-based sites, with eligible organisations applying through ANIC for measures such as CCTV, alarms and access controls. Home Affairs told News24 that neither Bankstown's Al Madina Dawah Centre nor Melbourne's Al Bayyinah Islamic Centre had received funding. The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) objected that the money was allocated to ANIC through "a closed, non-competitive process" and wrote to the Prime Minister and Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly on 9 September 2025; News24 reported that the government did not respond. In February 2026 AFIC president Rateb Jneid said: "The Muslim community is not ANIC."