ISLAMIC leaders have accused Muslim cleric Taj al-Din al-Hilaly's spokesman of inflating the mufti's role in securing the freedom of hostage Douglas Wood.The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils has spent thousands of dollars funding Sheik Hilaly's trip to Iraq, where he worked closely with local religious and community leaders to try to negotiate the Australian engineer's release.
AFIC leaders are angry at Sheik Hilaly's Sydney-based spokesman Keysar Trad claims that the sheik had advanced knowledge of Mr Wood's "release" and that he had been dropped off by agreement at a safe house rather than rescued in a random military raid.
One AFIC leader said Mr Trad's claims appeared to contradict the Federal Government's official version of events and could jeopardise the cleric's standing in the community.
Mr Trad said the sheik had played a "key role" in winning Mr Wood's release, despite flying to Cairo last week because of security and health concerns.
He said negotiations about paying money to the kidnappers had been continuing this week, despite the Government saying no ransom was paid.
Mr Trad was unrepentant yesterday, saying he regularly telephoned the sheik and was simply passing on the cleric's knowledge of the situation.
He said Sheik Hilaly had played a fundamental role in Iraq in extending the first deadline set by the kidnappers.
"I have been in regular contact with the mufti and am passing on information that everybody in the country wants to hear. They can't just turn around and shoot the messenger. This is what AFIC has to understand."
AFIC president Ameer Ali said Mr Trad did not belong to the leading Islamic body nor to the influential Lebanese Muslim Association in southwestern Sydney.
But other leaders from AFIC, an umbrella body for Muslim community groups, were seething over Mr Trad's comments. AFIC, which has kept a low profile since the kidnapping, paid for the sheik to fly business-class to Iraq and will pick up his phone and hotel tab, and that of a Sydney-based Iraqi who travelled with him.
Mr Ali said the whole story of his involvement would not be known until Sheik Hilaly returned to Sydney, possibly as soon as this weekend.
Mr Ali revealed that former prime minister Malcolm Fraser and founder of aid organisation Care Australia, had asked AFIC and Sheik Hilaly to help win the release of Care's kidnapped British director in Iraq, Margaret Hassan, last year but Ms Hassan was murdered before they could mobilise.