Excerpt:
American Muslims are defending an Australian imam whose public opposition to radical Islam and attempts to impose sharia law has drawn criticism from other Muslim leaders in Australia.
Imam Shaikh Mohammad Tawhidi said that other members of Australia's Muslim community were criticizing him because he has blasted radical Islam and warned of an extremist cell in Sydney, the nation's largest city.
"They have called me a fake Muslim imam or a Shaikh only because I expose their intentions to create a caliphate within Australia," Tawhidi said. "I am considered a fake because I condemn terrorism. I am considered a fake because I oppose and expose extremism."