SYDNEY, June 27: The Australian government moved quickly on Friday to quash an allegation that the spiritual leader of Australia’s Islamic community had been subjected to humiliating and discriminatory treatment by customs officers.

The man known as Australia’s Grand Mufti, Egyptian-born Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali, 62, wrote to Prime Minister John Howard complaining about the incident in which it is alleged he was victimised because of who he is.

The allegation, with its undertones of racial discrimination, has further angered Australia’s Islamic community, already concerned about new anti-terrorist legislation it sees as targeting Muslims.

A spokesman for Alhilali, Kayser Trad, said the Mufti had been returning on Monday from a conference in New Zealand attended by many of the region’s religious leaders when he was “singled out” for the search that took about 45 minutes.

He had cleared customs when, waiting at the baggage carousel with a travelling companion, he was taken by a customs official to have his bags comprehensively searched.

“They searched their bags thoroughly, bits of paper, everything, and were asked some very probing questions which did not really have any relation to the search,” Trad said.—AFP