Latest news with #ExecutiveCouncilOfAustralianJewry
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Jihadi preacher Wissam Haddad issues 'chilling' warning ahead of court battle over controversial sermons
Islamic preacher Wissam Haddad has shared an ominous warning to his followers as his legal battle with Australia's biggest Jewish body gets under way. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry is suing Haddad in the Federal Court over his sermons at Al Madina Dawah Centre in Bankstown, western Sydney, which they allege breached the Racial Discrimination Act. In the wake of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, Haddad allegedly said in his sermons that Jews were 'cowards, filthy, liars and schemers'. The case also claims he labelled Jewish people 'descendants of pigs and monkeys' and urged his followers to 'spit' on Israel. Haddad will argue that his statements were taken from religious texts like the Quran and were not likely to offend. He also contends that his sermons were performed in private and published online without his permission. The preacher, who is also known as Abu Ousayd, appeared in the Federal Court in Sydney on Tuesday to defend the lawsuit - and in the lead-up to the case, he shared a defiant message on social media. 'They are the one dragging us to court, so we're not going to come unarmed,' he said in the message. 'We're going to fight them with everything that we have,' he added, before an image of a sword appeared in the video. '...Isn't it about time that somebody fights back? Isn't it about time that somebody stands up to these bullies? 'And this is, Alhamdulillah, something I am personally willing to do.' Haddad also appealed to his followers for help with his legal costs in fighting the lawsuit, posting a link to a GoFundMe page which had raised almost $20,000 toward a $25,000 target on Tuesday. 'We are at a crossroads that will determine the future of Islamic expression in Australia,' the page said. '...a landmark legal case will be heard - one that could criminalise the public teaching or mention of certain Qur'anic verses and Hadiths if someone deems them 'offensive.' 'This case has far-reaching implications - not just for one individual or organisation, but for every imam, scholar, community leader, and Muslim in the country.' Haddad's use of a sword in his social media warning was encouraging his followers to join a 'physical' battle, a Jewish community source told The Australian. 'He's positioning it as an act of Islamic duty, a religious war between Muslims and Jews, which makes it even more alarming and chilling,' the source said. 'He doesn't have mainstream support in his own community, but it has the potential to incite young radicals to commit violence. It's extremely dangerous.' Sheik Ahmad Musa Jibril, a US-based radical Islamist who previously called on young people to join ISIS, has asked his followers to support Haddad's legal defence and claimed he is 'one of the most targeted men in Australia by the disbelievers'.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Take it up with God': preacher sued for anti-Semitism
Wissam Haddad's fiery sermons have racked up thousands of views online but are now being scrutinised in a lawsuit brought by a Jewish group alleging anti-Semitism. The Islamist preacher maintains all his words are backed up by scriptures from the Koran and other Islamic texts. "I like to call Islam a divine ideology and I'm going to give reference from that," he told AAP ahead of his Federal Court hearing on Tuesday. "If people have an issue with the reference that I'm bringing, that I wholeheartedly know and believe is from God, then they should take this up with God, not me." The Sydney-based Al Madina Dawah Centre cleric has been accused of racial discrimination in more than 110 pages of court documents that detail inflammatory remarks in sermons posted on social media. Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim and deputy president Robert Goot are seeking injunctions requiring the removal of the allegedly racist speeches and prohibiting Mr Haddad from making similar comments in future. The pair, who are not seeking compensation or damages, hope the case will serve as "a warning to deter others seeking to mobilise racism in order to promote their political views". Among the speeches detailed in their statement of claim, Mr Haddad blames the roots of "the enmity that we see today" on "none other than the Jews... because their forefathers had shown the same enmity to the Prophet (Mohammed)." He also claimed divisions among Muslim communities were because of Jewish people. Mr Haddad said most of the speeches identified had been taken down because he "didn't want the headache", while the complaint was being mediated at the Australian Human Rights Commission. But he said he refused to comply with other demands from the council including reading a pre-written apology at a synagogue and attending an anti-racism workshop, and this had prompted the Federal Court lawsuit. The council was contacted to verify Mr Haddad's claims but it declined to comment instead referring to a statement when it launched the lawsuit which seeks "to defend the honour of the community." ECAJ is a prominent group representing the Jewish community that has received more than $55 million in funding from the federal government in the past two years in light of anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues and schools. The council's co-CEO Alex Ryvchin's former home was the target of an arson and graffiti attack in January. Mr Haddad has courted controversy for being friends with former Australian members who joined terrorist group the Islamic State and posted gruesome videos of their atrocities, including beheadings. He defended his relationship with Khaled Sharrouf, an Australian ISIS member who was reportedly killed in a drone strike in Syria, because he was fighting other combatants in a bloody civil war. The preacher, also known as Abu Ousayd, maintains religious and political contexts are needed to situate his sermons, including the war on Gaza. "If you really look into it, our talks were never aimed at any Jews in Australia, rather we were speaking about the Jewish state of Israel," he said. Mr Haddad maintains he wears his emotions on his sleeve and that he has not breached any laws. "This is a test, not for me, this is a test for democracy itself."
