Lakemba sermon ‘a mistake’, ANIC chief concedes

Two senior Muslim community leaders have been questioned at the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion over their organisations’ responses to sensitive events, in the inquiry’s hearing block examining the drivers of radicalisation.

The president of the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), Sheikh Shadi Alsuleiman, conceded last Friday that a sermon delivered by Imam Ibrahim Dadoun at Lakemba the day after the October 7, 2023, attacks was “inappropriate” and “a mistake”.

In the speech, Dadoun said: “I’m smiling and I’m happy. I’m elated … It’s a day of pride. It’s a day of victory. This is the day we’ve been waiting for.”

Asked by Counsel Assisting Richard Lancaster whether the comments could be understood as expressing pride in the attack on Israeli citizens, Alsuleiman replied: “On the face of it, without explanation, yes.”

He said ANIC had no forewarning of the speech, that it did not represent the council’s position, and that Dadoun had been counselled rather than disciplined. The council’s philosophy, he said, was that guiding imams “through those mistakes and keeping them within the fold of ANIC is a lot more healthier and helpful”.