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Australian PM Regrets Inviting Anti-Gay Imam to Iftar Dinner


FILE - Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull holds his hand out as he speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia. Turnbull said he was made aware of Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman's controversial remarks about homosexuals during the dinner.
FILE - Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull holds his hand out as he speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia. Turnbull said he was made aware of Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman's controversial remarks about homosexuals during the dinner.

Australia's prime minister says he regrets inviting a Muslim cleric to an Iftar dinner, the meal that breaks the daily Ramadan fast at sunset.

Malcolm Turnbull said he was made aware of Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman's controversial remarks about homosexuals during the dinner Thursday at the Australian leader's official residence, Kirribilli House.

Alsuleiman, president of the Australian National Imams Council, said in a video uploaded to YouTube in 2013 that homosexual actions bring "evil outcomes to our society."

"Had I known that the sheikh had made those remarks, he would not have been invited to the Iftar," Turnbull said.

An Australian newspaper contacted the prime minister's office about the remarks.

In the U.S., a Muslim gunman launched an attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, early last Sunday, killing 49 people.

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