Mustapha Kara-Ali is basing his claim to be above Australian law on Australian law: “The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) Act 2012 stipulates that when it is carrying out religious activities that are related to the practice, study, teaching or propagation of its religious beliefs, or other activities ancillary to them … Diwan Al Dawla, as a basic religious charity is not required to comply with Australian laws.”

The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) refutes his claim, but in any case it isn’t surprising that Kara-Ali would make the attempt. The Qur’an tells Muslims: “You are the best nation produced for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong” (3:110), and says that unbelievers are “the most vile of created beings” (98:6). So why should one of the best of people have to submit to the laws of the most vile of created beings? Note also that he calls Australian officials “monkeys,” an epithet given to the disobedient Jews in the Qur’an (7:166).

“EXCLUSIVE: Still thumbing their noses at the law: Muslim brothers haven’t demolished their illegal religious hideaway months after being ordered to tear it down,” by Stephen Gibbs, Daily Mail Australia, December 3, 2018 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

Two Muslim brothers ordered to demolish an illegal religious compound north of Sydney have done almost nothing to abide by court orders made three months ago.

Mustapha and Diaa Kara-Ali were told to stop all work on the bushland hideaway at Colo in the Hawkesbury region but instead erected more buildings on the site.

On August 27 the Land and Environment Court ordered the pair to demolish and remove sheds, slabs, fences and every other structure they had illegally built on the property within 28 days.

Justice Terry Sheahan’s orders were ignored and the brothers now face jail after each pleaded guilty to four counts of contempt.

Photographs taken last Friday compared with pictures taken in August show the Kara-Ali brothers continued to undertake work at the Putty Road site after the orders were made….

Last month a lawyer for the brothers said they had removed religious signage from the property as well as flags and flagpoles. Little else seems to have been done to comply with Justice Sheahan’s orders….

The Kara-Ali brothers had previously said they would not obey Australia law and indicated they would refuse to abide by any court rulings over their religious retreat.

They refused to acknowledge legal action brought by Hawkesbury City Council and for months ignored all orders of the Land and Environment Court.

Mustapha Kara-Ali had told Daily Mail Australia he would refuse council officers access to the land, stating they were ‘Cruasaders’ and an affront to Islam.

He and Diaa refused to attend the court because they did not recognise its authority.

The brothers maintained their resolve after Justice Sheahan found they had undertaken land clearing and earthworks in breach of planning laws and had built structures without approval.

‘Because of the religious symbolism of the court, that contradicts with my religion,’ Mustapha Kara-Ali said. ‘For my religion to be free I can’t be dictated to by another religion.’…

The Kara-Alis were building the retreat under the auspices of the Diwan Al Dawla Islamic guild, which bought the property for $670,000 in May last year….

The council launched civil action against the brothers alleging they had carried out illegal land clearing and earthworks and built gates, fences and driveways without approval.

The brothers agreed they had not sought approval for the work and said they had no intention of doing so because they did not recognise Australian law.

‘My main issue is the interference between the secular and the religious,’ Mustapha Kara-Ali said.

‘What we are saying in a nutshell is the country of Australia is entrenched in secular symbolism and religious symbolism that stretches back to the time of the Crusades.

‘This means that this government is not secular. It is religious because it carries these symbols.

‘And we refuse for pagan symbols such as crosses to be on top of our lives.

‘Remove these religious symbols and we can talk about secular government. But not now. For us, this is religious freedom.’

The imam said if government bodies tried to enforce their rules upon him he would resist. ‘I tell you what, people like us will say our God is supreme.’

Dr Kara-Ali believed his guild members were being treated as ‘violent ragheads that know nothing about the world.’

‘We believe in our cause. We believe we are pioneers of religious freedom in this country.

‘It is our way to disconnect. We want to disconnect. We want to be left alone.’

The court heard the conflict turned ugly in July when three council officers attended the property to serve papers on the Kara-Ali brothers. A dashcam video tendered to the court showed the pair confront the officers.

‘Both men were repeatedly yelling obscenities from the other side of the gate, calling out, “You dogs, I step on your cross”, one of the council officers alleged.

However, Dr Kara-Ali said he and his brother were intimidated by the actions of the ‘violent monkeys’ and anyone could enter the site as long as they did not do so under a cross.

Dr Kara-Ali wrote to Hawkesbury City Council in March explaining another reason why he believed government had no authority over his group.

‘The Colo Wilderness site is a religious site that is owned by the members of Diwan Al Dawla for the carrying out of religious activities of devotion, self-discipline, ritual baptism, inter-community prayers, contemplation and religious study, he wrote.

‘The Land with its Colo River access serves as a reclusive place of worship.’

‘Members of Diwan al Dawla… live as a religious guild separated from secular lifetsyles to pursue a religious mode of worship to and an ascetic lifestyle under an oath of self-sacrifice and dedication to the purpose of Diwan Al Dawla.’

Dr Kara-Ali contended Hawkesbury City Council had no power to tell Diwan Al Dawla what to do because it is a ‘basic religious charity’ registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for profits Commission (ACNC).

‘Charities who meet the definition of Basic Religious Charity do not have to submit annual financial reports, and they do not have to comply with the ACNC governance standards which include… “Compliance with Australian laws”,’ Dr Kara-Ali wrote.

According to the imam, that also put his guild above the law….