Cleric linked to alleged Bondi shooter defends ‘controversial’

A western Sydney cleric who claimed Jews want to destroy Islam has issued a defiant statement after his religious centre was linked to Sunday’s Bondi massacre and faced calls to be shut down.

An under-fire cleric from western Sydney who regularly speaks at a religious centre linked to one of the alleged Bondi terrorists says “controversial or unpopular speech is lawful unless it breaches specific legal thresholds”.

Alleged shooter Naveed Akram, 24, had previously attended Bankstown’s Al Madina Dawah Centre before being arrested over Sunday’s massacre.

Wissam Haddad, a regular speaker at Al Madina who also goes by the name Abu Ousayd, has often made inflammatory speeches criticising Jews since the October 7 attacks, claiming a “Jewish lobby” wants to “destroy” Islam and that “there is a religious conflict taking place here in Sydney”.

Denying allegations he has any association with Akram, Mr Haddad has now posted a lengthy media statement on Instagram responding to a number of claims.

In response to the claim “Wissam Haddad’s words are provocative”, Mr Haddad said: “This is a subjective opinion, not a statement of fact”.

“Australia“ brands itself as a liberal democracy where controversial or unpopular speech is lawful unless it breaches specific legal thresholds, finding other people’s beliefs or opinions distasteful does not automatically make it criminal,” he said.

And in response to a claim Akram was a follower of his, Mr Haddad said: “The claim is undefined and misleading”.

“The term ‘follower’ is not explained and could refer to something as minimal as a social media follow, which does not establish endorsement, influence or a personal relationship,” Mr Haddad said.

“No evidence has been produced showing any personal, organisational, or instructional link between Naveed Akram and Wisam Haddad.”

It is not suggested Mr Haddad had anything to do with Sunday’s attack.

In June, Mr Haddad gave a speech in which he claimed Jews wanted to turn Islam into a passive religion when talking about him being prosecuted in the courts by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

“During my trial with the Australian Jewish lobby, if you had paid any attention, you would really see what they were after, what they were seeking, you would see plainly that they wish to alter the deed of Allah, they wish to turn Islam into a passive religion — a religion that just turns the other cheek,” he said in a video uploaded online and obtained by The Daily Telegraph.…

On Monday, the Al Madina Dawah Centre issued a statement saying Mr Haddad had no role at the centre other than “occasional invitations as a guest speaker”.

The centre said it was under new management.

Liberal Senator James Paterson has said he was “completely unsurprised” to learn Akram had been associated with the centre.

“This is an organisation I’ve been concerned about for years and it is long past time it was shut down,” he said.

“It is a factory of hate, it produces nothing but extremists and it shouldn’t be allowed to continue.

“It shouldn’t be shut down next week, or next month, or next year, it should be shut down today.”