The principal of Victoria's largest Islamic school has been called to a meeting with state government officials to explain why he told students that Islamic State was a plot by Western countries.
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Last week The Age revealed that al-Taqwa College principal Omar Hallak told students not to join IS because it was created by some Western countries.
Mr Hallak said he thought IS was created by Israel and the US to control oil in the Middle East, but stressed that he did not explicitly mention these countries to students.
Education Minister James Merlino said state government representatives would meet with the Truganina college after school holidays to "develop a program of cross-cultural understanding".
Mr Merlino said the comments by Mr Hallak were a real concern.
The minister said he was pleased steps were being taken to ensure Victorian students were not "subjected to these kinds of dangerous and reckless views".
"The comments made have no place in our schools and we look forward to working with the school community to address the issue."
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Robert Goot called on the federal government to create "quality assurance programs" to scrutinise the pastoral training and education of religious leaders, as well as extra-curricular activities at religious schools.
"It is astonishing that anyone charged with the responsibility of being the principal of a major school which receives government funding should be so far out of touch with reality," he said.
It is not the first time the school has triggered controversy. In 2005 The Sunday Age reported that a visiting imam told al-Taqwa students that Jews were putting poison in bananas and they should not eat them.
The Education Department said it had met with a number of government and non-government schools – including al-Taqwa – to promote community safety.
Mr Hallak could not be contacted on Monday.
