Australian Jewish leaders have taken a controversial Islamic preacher to Federal Court over allegations he referred to Jewish people as “vile”, “treacherous” and had peddled an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry announced the action against Wissam Haddad – also known as Abu Ousayd – and the religious centre Al Madina Dawah Centre Incorporated that hosts the preacher.
ECAJ’s co-CEO Peter Wertheim and its Deputy President Robert Goot are taking Mr Haddad and the centre to court over speeches made late last year that were then published online.
Alongside the alleged descriptions of the Jewish people as “vile” and “treacherous”, Ms Haddad also claimed that “their hands are in everywhere – in businesses … in the media”.
The pair are seeking a declaration that Mr Haddad contravened section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act – which makes it unlawful for a person to “offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate” someone based on their race or ethnicity.
They also seek injunctions to have the speeches removed from the internet and restrain Mr Haddad and the centre from publishing similar content in the future.
Alongside this, the Jewish leaders want the respondents to publish a corrective notice on Al Madina Dawah Centre’s social media pages and are seeking an order for costs.
Mr Wertheim said the ECAJ’s action in the Federal Court came after a failed bid to the Australian Human Rights Commission, “but a conciliated resolution could not be achieved”.
“Accordingly, 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,” he said in a statement.
Mr Wertheim continued to praise Australia’s multi-faith and multi-cultural society and argued this meant people should “not bring the hatreds, prejudices and bigotry of overseas conflicts and societies into Australia”, before pointing the finger at the government’s failure to prevent Mr Hassad’s speech.
“Maintaining and strengthening social cohesion is the role of governments and government agencies, but lately they have failed us,” he 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.
“However, in the circumstances we feel we have no alternative.”
The ECAJ’s action against Mr Haddad and the centre come amid a crackdown on displays of symbols deemed anti-Semitic.
Restaurateur Alan Yazbek was forced to step back from his restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne after being spotted holding a poster with a swastika imposed on an Israel flag at a pro-Palestine rally.
He has since pled guilty to displaying a Nazi symbol.
Yazbek was also seen holding a flag with a likeness to the Hezbollah flag after a number of protestors faced charges for brandishing the terrorist listed organisation at a pro-Palestine rally.
Mr Haddad’s controversial statements about Jewish people, which he claims to have made when referring to, or reciting, Islamic scripture in most instances, come alongside a call against Muslims voting.
“All these verses that we bring together (show) us that legislation belongs solely to God,” he told Sky News’ Jonathan Lea in reference to the Quran and Sunnah.
“When a person is involved in a democracy, whether it be in Australia or anywhere else… people become the legislator. People say and start to pass what is right and wrong. They start to say what is permissible and impermissible.”
His comments are part of a series of exclusive interviews with outspoken members of the Muslim community to investigate the rise of the independent Muslim voting movement.
“There can’t be a system that’s ever-changing. There has to be one system that’s divine … a system that’s going to stand the test of time,” Abu Ousayd told Sky News in a conversation both parties agreed to record.