Two Australian Jewish leaders say they have been forced to sue an Islamic cleric over his ‘hateful’ sermons in a bid to deter others from promoting racism to further their political views.
Preacher Wissam Haddad, also known as Abu Ousayd, and the Sydney-based Al Madina Dawah Centre have been accused of racial discrimination in Federal Court proceedings filed on Friday.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim and deputy president Robert Goot decided to sue over allegedly offensive behaviour based on racial hatred.
Mr Haddad’s sermons were made at the Bankstown centre in Sydney’s southwest and also published online.
In a statement on Monday, Mr Wertheim and Mr Goot claim the preacher’s sermons used derogatory generalisations of Jewish people.
‘We have commenced proceedings in the Federal Court to defend the honour of our community, and as a warning to deter others seeking to mobilise racism in order to promote their political views,’ Mr Wertheim said.
They are seeking court injunctions requiring the removal of the allegedly racist speeches and prohibiting Mr Haddad from making similar comments in the future.
They are not seeking compensation or damages.
Abu Ousayd delivers his lecture on Jews at the Al Madina Dawah Centre in western Sydney
Mr Wertheim said Australia’s multicultural success story meant people were free to observe their faiths in harmony and respect.
‘That should mean we do not bring the hatreds, prejudices and bigotry of overseas conflicts and societies into Australia,’ he said.
While maintaining social cohesion was the role of governments and their agencies, they had failed the Jewish community, Mr Wertheim said.
‘It should not fall on our community, or any other community, to take private legal action to remedy a public wrong, and to stand up to those who sow hatred in our midst,’ he said.
‘However, in the circumstances we feel we have no alternative.’
In vile sermons last year, Ousayd said: ‘Peace is bad for the Jew (they say) “there is no business for us”,’ he said.
‘There goes our media, there goes our Hollywood blockbuster films.
‘They need the fighting and the infighting of the Muslims to continue in order to thrive in order to grow.’
He said there was no difference between Jews who did not support Israel and ‘Zionists’ who do.
‘Even these ultra-orthodox Jews that you see today that are against Israel and hate the Zionists… when the Messiah comes they are still going to fight Muslims,’ he said.
‘Don’t be fooled these people are still your friends.
‘Towards the end of times when the Muslims will be fighting the Jews, the trees will speak, the stones will speak and they will say ‘”oh Muslim, oh believer, there is a Yahud (Jew) behind me, come and kill him”.’
He said Jews were always claiming ‘Muslims are making things up’ and ‘arrogantly’ think they are ‘better, they are the best’.
