Faruqi demands correspondence be made public
“The Faruqi motion was an attempt at a witch-hunt targeting mainstream Jewish organisations," says Peter Wertheim.
The Senate has voted down a motion from the Greens aimed at Jewish community roof bodies.
On Wednesday, Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi put forward a motion targeting all correspondence the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has had with Jewish community organisations over the last year.
If passed, it would have required the Attorney General to make public any correspondence between the AHRC and anyone from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry; the Zionist Federation of Australia; the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, or the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies.
The targeted organisations have condemned her action.
Alon Cassuto, CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia said “The Greens are unhealthily obsessed with the Jewish community. They are nothing but a Party of stunts, who promote division, hatred, and disunity to win votes”.
He said no other minority would be expected to put up with being incessantly targeted by the Greens.
Peter Wertheim, co-Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said “The Faruqi motion was an attempt at a witch-hunt targeting mainstream Jewish organisations. This was a disgraceful abuse of the democratic process, and its ignominious failure was fully deserved”.
David Ossip, President of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies said “Senator Faruqi’s motion is underpinned by a dark, conspiratorial mindset which suggests that Jewish organisations are somehow acting in a nefarious or sinister manner by simply engaging with public agencies. She has rightly been condemned for this divisive and appalling motion, which she would be castigating if it was directed at any other community.”
Dr Colin Rubenstein, Executive Director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) responded by saying, “Senator Faruqi’s latest antics show just how far down the rabbit hole of conspiratorial thinking and divisive targeting of minorities the Greens have gone in their obsessive, anti-Israel hostility. As her motion demonstrated, the Senator apparently believes it is nefarious and dangerous for the roof bodies of the Australian Jewish community, and the Jewish community alone, to contact the Australian Human Rights Council.”
Rubenstein said it’s hard to view this as anything other than targeting Australian Jews and their right to participate normally in Australian democracy.
“And then she screams that she is the victim of racism. It is both sad and extremely worrying to witness the dreadful state to which the Greens have brought public discourse in this country,” he said.
Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie criticised Senator Faruqi’s motion, describing the Greens as “religiously racist”.
Speaking in the Senate, she said “Here’s the Greens going again, stoking division and whipping up hate. Imagine if there was a motion put up in this place asking for all correspondence from Muslim groups and staff with the Human Rights Commission”.
The next day Senator Faruqi said Parliament had broken her with its racism, attacks on Muslims, Palestinian refugees, disabled people and women.
The AJN asked Senator Faruqi why she wanted the correspondence publicised, why she was interested in those particular Jewish organisations and what her response would be if a political leader asked about Muslim organisations in a similar manner.
She did not respond by our deadline.
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