ECAJ sues hate preacher

The Jewish community's attempt to stop Sydney Islamic preacher Wissam Haddad and religious centre Al Madina Dawah from spreading hate has moved to the Federal Court.

In March, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) lodged complaints with the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) alleging Haddad and the Centre had breached the Racial Discrimination Act.

It also lodged complaints against another Sydney Islamic preacher Sheikh Ahmed Zoud and Awqaf Australia Benevolent Fund Limited.

Both complaints refer to speeches that were allegedly made at the Al Madina Dawah Centre late last year, recordings of which have been uploaded online.

The applicants, ECAJ Co-CEO Peter Wertheim and Deputy President Robert Goot, are claiming the speeches breach Part IIA of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, which prohibits offensive behaviour based on racial hatred.

Wertheim said the Council had been through conciliation with Haddad and the Centre, as is required under Australian human rights law, but had failed to achieve a resolution.

"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.

The complaints allege that the speeches included derogatory generalisations about Jewish people, such as descriptions of them as “monsters”, “criminals”, “bloodthirsty”, raised on “terrorism, violence, and killing”, a “vile people”, and a “treacherous people”, and claims that “their hands are in everywhere, in businesses…in the media”.

The applicants are seeking, among other things, declarations that the respondents contravened section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act; injunctions requiring the speeches to be removed from the internet and restraining the respondents from publishing similar content in the future; an order requiring publication of a corrective notice on the social media pages of Al Madina Dawah Centre Incorporated; and an order for costs.

No order for damages or monetary compensation is being sought.