Muslim cleric apologises for anti-Jewish sermon

A Muslim cleric who described Jews as criminals, terrorists and monsters during a sermon in a Sydney mosque has apologised to the Jewish community.

Sheikh Ahmed Zoud and the Masjid As-Sunnah Lakemba mosque have both issued apologies in resolution of a complaint made by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC).

In late December 2023, Zoud delivered a Friday sermon entitled "The truth of the Jews and their characteristics". He described Jews as criminals, terrorists and monsters.

"Who are these criminals who perpetrate these crimes? Who are the terrorists who act and behave this way? Who are these monsters from whose hearts mercy has been ripped out? My people, these are the Zionists. These are the Jews. However, not all of the Jews are like that; just most of them. The most important characteristic of the Jews is that they are bloodthirsty. They love to shed blood. From an early age, they raise their children on terrorism, violence and killing," Zoud said in the sermon, which was streamed live on the mosque's Facebook page.

In his apology, which was delivered both verbally and in writing, Zoud said he regretted that his comments attacking the Israeli military and government as rats and monsters "could be interpreted as attacking the Jewish people as a whole" and that his speech contained "harmful, offensive and dehumanising generalisations about the Jewish people".

He undertook not to make similar comments in the future.

Masjid As-Sunnah Lakemba mosque also issued an apology acknowledging that the comments about Jewish people "as distinct from the Israeli military and government" were "not only inappropriate but can breach Australian laws and offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate Jewish Australians".

ECAJ Co- Executive Director Peter Wertheim said, “This is a welcome admission of wrong-doing by Ahmed Zoud and we hope that it will serve as an example for the future about the limits of freedom of expression.

“In Australia, that freedom does not extend to the public vilification of people who come from a different ethnic background or choose to follow a different faith, or no faith.”

He noted that the same limitations apply to expressions of political opinion, including commentary about overseas conflicts.

The ECAJ is also suing Bankstown preacher Wissam Haddad in the Federal Court over his antisemitic comments. A four-day hearing is scheduled for next month.

Zoud's apology was distributed in a video in Arabic on his Facebook page.