Mohammed Junaid Thorne facts for kids
Mohammed Junaid Thorne is an Australian Islamic speaker from Perth, Western Australia. He has Aboriginal family background. Thorne is known for his strong opinions about some Islamic groups, including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). He is part of the Australian group called Millatu Ibrahim, which is a Salafi organization. This group is not allowed in Germany. In August 2015, Thorne was sent to jail for a few months because he traveled on a plane using a different name and fake ID.
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About Junaid Thorne's Life
Junaid Thorne was born to a Noongar Aboriginal father, Graham Thorne, and a Malaysian Muslim mother. His parents later separated. When Junaid was five years old in 1996, he moved to Saudi Arabia because his stepfather found work there. Junaid lived and studied in Saudi Arabia for many years, becoming used to the Muslim Arab way of life. He stayed there until he was 23.
His older brother, Shayden, was put in jail in Saudi Arabia for reasons related to terrorism. In July 2013, Junaid was sent back to Western Australia from Saudi Arabia after he protested about his brother being in prison. Shayden Thorne was later jailed in Australia for his part in a 2016 event. He was released in early March 2020. In November 2014, Junaid Thorne moved from Perth to Sydney.
Junaid Thorne is on a special list kept by the Australian government. This is because some of his social media posts and talks have shown support for the Islamic State.
On 15 January 2015, police officers from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) searched Thorne's home in Bass Hill, New South Wales. He was told to appear in court in Perth. When he traveled between Sydney and Perth with two other people, Omer Issak and Mostafa Shiddiquzzaman, they all used fake names. All three admitted they were guilty of these charges. Shiddiquzzuman was jailed for four months, and Issak received a community order. On 15 June 2015, Thorne was sentenced to nine months in jail. He was later released while waiting for an appeal. In August, his sentence was changed to eight months, with a minimum of four months.
Junaid Thorne's Activities
Thorne has been an active Islamic speaker in Australia. He has given many talks at Islamic centers. Some of these centers are known for having very strict views on Islam. These include the iQraa Islamic centre in Brisbane, the Al Risalah Islamic centre in Bankstown (now closed), and the Al Furqan Islamic centre in Melbourne (also now closed).
Thorne has said that a teenager named Numan Haider attended some of his talks. He also met with the teenager several times. Numan Haider was later killed after hurting two police officers in Melbourne.
About Millatu Ibrahim
Junaid Thorne became a member of the Millatu Ibrahim group in Perth. This group is not allowed in Germany. Thorne says that Millatu Ibrahim means "to follow the path of Ibrahim (Abraham)." Abraham is an important prophet in the Islamic faith. Thorne has stated that the Australian and German Millatu Ibrahim groups are not connected. He said that having the same name does not mean they are the same or know each other.
Ruqyah Healing Practices
After moving to Sydney in November 2014, Thorne started focusing on an Islamic way of spiritual healing called ruqyah. Thorne worked with a healer from Sydney named Abu Hamza. They began giving talks about spirits in Islam, which are known as jinn.
Junaid Thorne's Views
- Views on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
Thorne has spoken about his views on ISIL. He said that if he fully supported them, he would get into trouble. But he also said that saying he does not support them at all would not be true. He explained that he might agree with ISIL on some things, but disagree with them on others.
- Views on Democracy and Sharia
Thorne has also shared his thoughts on democracy and Sharia law. He believes that as Muslims, they do not accept democracy. Instead, they look to Sharia law as their main system for government. He clarified that this does not mean they are trying to force it on anyone in Australia. He said that personally, he would love for Sharia law to be used in Australia. He added that if there was an Islamic state where Sharia law was in place, he would happily move there. He believes that for Muslims, Sharia law is the answer to many problems today.
Being a Victim of Online Trolling
In 2015, Thorne was tricked by an American online prankster named Joshua Ryne Goldberg. This person created a fake online account pretending to be Thorne. The goal was to make Thorne look bad. The prankster also made fake accounts that looked like supporters of violent groups. These fake accounts would talk to the fake Thorne account. The prankster then sent pictures of these fake conversations to journalists. The journalists did not realize that the "supporters" and the fake Thorne account were all controlled by the same person. These fake conversations were published in a newspaper called The West Australian on 18 April 2015. They were described as proof of "the deep hatred many of Thorne's followers harbour towards non-Muslim Australians."
See also
- Islam in Australia
- Islamic organisations in Australia
