Australian's Food Taxed to fund Mosque in Indonesia

Halal: Australian money used to fund mosque being built by Indonesia’s certification authority

Matthew Benns
The Daily Telegraph
8915

AUSTRALIAN food manufacturers are paying millions of dollars for halal certification — only to see some of the money sent overseas to help pay for a $5 million mosque development in Indonesia.

The mosque is being built by the head of Indonesia’s halal certification authority, which controls access to the giant Indonesian market.

The disclosures, made last night on ABC’s Four Corners program, follow an exclusive investigation by The Daily Telegraph that revealed Australian businesses were paying millions of dollars for halal ­certification to gain access to ­lucrative overseas markets.

The Islamic Co-ordinating Council of Victoria’s deputy chairman Ekrem Ozyurek confirmed to the program that some of the profits from the certification of red meat in Australia were going towards a $5 million mosque development in West Java.

“It’s going for the purpose of [an] orphanage or something they are building and they need that money to build that orphanage or a mosque, that kind of thing ... there’s a possibility that some money might be given to them, yes,” he said.

The project is being built by Amidhan Shaberah, who heads the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), gatekeeper to the Indonesian market. Former Australian Federation of Islamic Councils president Ikebal Patel said local certifiers had offered thousands of dollars to the MUI in return for favourable treatment.

A senate food certification is has received almost 1500 submissions.

Labor Green Loon Harmony Day Ambassadors Gone Wild at Major Sydney Hospital in Sydney's Occupied Territories

William Tyrrell Do you know where he is? if so PLEASE Call 1800 333 000

Somebody saw something.  Somebody knows something.  Somebody can help bring William home.  Is that somebody you?

Call Crime Stoppers now on 1800 333 000

Paedophile Paul Bickford visits wife’s home, group linked with him part of William Tyrrell investigation

EXCLUSIVE Taylor Auerbach

The Daily Telegraph

8915

DAYS after it was revealed a community group linked to paedophile Paul Bickford was being investigated by ­detectives attached to the hunt for missing toddler William Tyrrell, he has been photographed for 

the first time visiting his “wrecked” wife’s home on the NSW mid-north coast.

Initial inquiries last night suggested Bickford was not in breach of an AVO or court orders placed on him at the time of his 16-month suspended jail sentence handed down on February 19.

The Daily Telegraph spotted Bickford — former president of support group GAPA (Grandparents As Parents Again) — leaving the home at 9.15am in a white sedan. He drove to the shops and returned roughly 

15 minutes later.

“We’ve made inquiries and the indications are that he is not in breach of anything,” detective Inspector Gary Jubelin, leader of the William Tyrrell investigation strike force, said.

Bickford pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting an 11-year-old girl who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome during a drive to the shops to buy her lollies.

“He’s a bloody fool (for pleading guilty),” his wife Sandra said.

“He didn’t want to go to jail … he’s innocent.

“We’ve had a very emotional weekend. We have been interviewed by the detectives from Sydney before, they questioned everyone in our group.”

Mrs Bickford said homicide detectives had interviewed she and her husband extensively over their knowledge, if any, of William.

Mrs Bickford claimed last week that her husband was banned from living with her and the child residing at the same address. A teenage boy was also seen visiting the house yesterday while Bickford was 

inside.

The family of Bickford’s victim described him as “the lowest of the low” and said they wanted him exposed as a convicted paedophile.

“It was extremely difficult and it was also extremely disappointing what the end result was — the fact that he got a 16-month slap on the wrist and let go again,” her grandfather said.

“(The victim) is very volatile. One minute she’s quite calm and totally fine, and the next minute she’s not.”

The Saturday Telegraph revealed last week that Paul Bickford was a member of a paedophile ring being looked at as part of the police investigation into William’s abduction.

Tony Jones — also a former member of GAPA — is in jail awaiting sentencing next week over indecently assaulting a different 11-year-old girl.