Another cleric delivers antisemitic sermon
Liberal Senator Dave Sharma called the speech "disgusting" and "un-Australian".
An Australian imam has delivered a sermon in a Lakemba mosque calling Jews a “criminal, barbaric, tyrannical enemy” and praising jihad as the only solution “for the sake of Allah”.
The sermon, which was delivered by Sheikh Abdul Salam Zoud last month at the Masjid As-Sunnah mosque and published on its Facebook page, has been translated by the Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI) and uploaded to its website. It is the latest in a series of incitement-filled speeches by Islamic preachers since October 7.
Zoud told the congregation in Western Sydney that jihad is the “only solution” when it comes to the infidels and that Palestine will only be restored by jihad.
“Jihad continues until judgement day,” Zoud said.
“The Prophet Muhammad, the Righteous Caliphs, the Umayyad Caliphate, the Abbasid Caliphate – none of them conquered the world by peaceful means, negotiations, concessions, or understandings. They conquered it through jihad for the sake of Allah.”
He also said, “All the billions that were spent to improve, beautify, and highlight the image of the Jews have all gone in vain.”
Liberal Senator Dave Sharma called the speech “disgusting” and “un-Australian”.
“If it is not unlawful it should be,” Sharma said.
“That crosses the line from free speech into inciting violence.”
Co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) Peter Wertheim said current laws around hate speech and inciting violence do not offer enough protection and should be reformed.
“Since section 93Z of the Crimes Act came into effect in 2018, a neo-Nazi group in NSW has publicly stated: ‘it is time to legalise the Kike Cull’, anti-Israel demonstrators at the Opera House have yelled ‘f*** the Jews’, and self-styled Islamic hate preachers in Western Sydney have delivered sermons characterising Jews as ‘bloodthirsty monsters’,” Wertheim said.
“No charges have been laid and no prosecutions have been instituted in respect of those incidents. There is clearly a gap between what most people, and common sense, would regard as incitement to violence and the way the law defines it.
“As the state cannot protect the public, the public is now forced to use its own resources to find other legal means to protect itself.”
President of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies David Ossip said: “If we are serious about maintaining the communal cohesion and harmony we all treasure, we surely cannot tolerate hate preachers poisoning the minds of their adherents by vilifying other Australians and calling for jihad.
“Such sermons are incredibly dangerous and are completely inconsistent with our Australian values.”
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