A Brisbane mosque has made it very clear Peter Dutton is not welcome to visit due to his perceived ‘deeply hurtful’ rhetoric, as a growing number of Muslim organisations distance themselves from federal election campaigning.
Ali Kadri, a spokesperson for Holland Park Mosque and a Labor member, said the Opposition leader’s language about the Muslim community was behind the ban.
‘His presence would be deeply concerning to our congregation,’ Mr Kadri told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.
‘Generally we open our doors to all politicians, [but] Mr Dutton has used deeply hurtful words when it comes to migrants, particularly the Muslim community.’
When asked which language he was referring to, Mr Kadri said Mr Dutton had blamed the housing shortage on migrants and made ‘comments around downplaying of Islamophobia’.
‘In the housing debate, the focus is squarely on migrants, especially from Mr Dutton. It makes us feel targeted,’ he said.
‘Give us equal respect like any other Australian, consider us equal citizens.
‘In his rhetoric, unfortunately, [this] doesn’t come across.’
Spokesperson for Holland Park Mosque Ali Kadri (pictured) said a visit from opposition leader Peter Dutton would be deeply concerning to the community
Mr Kadri had told the Courier Mail on Monday that the Opposition leader’s ‘divisive rhetoric’ made a visit to the mosque ‘inconsistent’ with the community’s values.
The comments followed a statement released by leaders of Al Madinah Masjid in western Sydney after a visit from Mr Dutton on Sunday, clarifying that the meeting was not an endorsement of the Liberal Party.
Members had hoped Mr Dutton would address previous critical remarks about some Muslim Australians made during his time as Immigration Minister in 2016.
Mr Dutton said that the Fraser government ‘did make mistakes by bringing some people in’ to Australia during the 1970s.
When pressed on who he was referring to during a Question Time debate, Mr Dutton pointed the finger at Lebanese-Muslim immigrants.
‘The advice I have is that out of the last 33 people who have been charged with terrorist-related offences in this country, 22 of those people are from second and third generation Lebanese-Muslim background,’ he said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Dutton’s office for comment.
On Monday, reporters asked the Opposition leader for his response to concerns about his rhetoric and whether he had plans to publicly apologise.
Leaders of Al Madinah Masjid in western Sydney released a statement after a visit from Peter Dutton on Sunday (pictured) clarifying that the meeting was not an endorsement
‘People should be able to live in our country, in our society, particularly in the 21st century, peaceful and with freedom,’ he said.
‘I don’t tolerate attacks on mosques, not on churches, not on temples, not on any place of worship.
‘People might have differences of opinion about religion, but in our country we respect the points of difference and we need to make sure that people, when they’re going to a place of worship, that they’re able to do so freely.’
When asked again whether he would apologise, Mr Dutton said his comments were consistent regardless of religion.
‘I’ve never discriminated against any criminal. I’m opposed to all of them,’ he said.
‘If somebody is committing an act of violence against somebody, and it’s religiously based, I’m dead against that. I’ve been consistent about that my entire career.’
The hostility toward Liberal campaigning at mosques was not just aimed at Mr Dutton.
Worshippers at an Eid prayer event at Dandenong Showgrounds in Melbourne’s southeast heckled Liberal frontbencher Jason Wood during his visit on Monday
On Monday, Liberal frontbencher Jason Wood beat a hasty retreat from an Eid prayer event at the Dandenong Showgrounds in Melbourne’s southwest after he was heckled by worshippers.
As Mr Wood left the venue, he was abused by some who filmed the exchange.
‘You’re not welcome here brother, get out of here,’ the man behind the camera said.
The Lebanese Muslim Association has also refused any visit from a politician to mosques in Sydney, Adelaide or Queensland.
‘We feel very much dissatisfied with the lack of attention Gaza has received from politicians,’ secretary Gamel Kheir told the Courier Mail.
‘[Not allowing them to our institutions is the] only way we can make it clear to politicians that we feel our voices are not being heard.’
