Muslim MP denies Jewish leader entry to Labor event

A MUSLIM MP sparked controversy at a Labor multicultural event last night when he refused entry to a prominent and respected Jewish leader.

Shaoquett Moselmane refused entry to a prominent and respected Jewish leader.

A MUSLIM MP sparked controversy at a Labor multicultural event last night when he refused entry to a prominent and respected Jewish leader.

Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff was invited to the Labor Union Multicultural Action Committee launch on Monday night but says Upper House MP Shaoquett Moselmane denied him entry claiming the event was only for Labor Party members.

Mr Alhadeff was invited to the event by NSW Labor general secretary Kaila Murnain.

But he was only invited after questioning why Mr Moselmane — who launched the event — hadn’t invited him in the first place.

Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff said he was disappointed “Mr Moselmane would defy his own party leadership”.

The event, held at NSW Labor headquarters on Sussex St, was billed as a “conduit between the multicultural community … and the party and union movement”.

“While I appreciated the goodwill in receiving an invitation from Kaila Murnain and Mark Morey, it was unfortunate that Mr Moselmane would defy his own party leadership and deny entry to a leader of the Jewish community,” Mr Alhadeff said.

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“Given that the invitation which Mr Moselmane sent to others specifically said he hoped this new organisation would become a conduit between the multicultural community and the Labor and union movement, it made no sense to exclude the CEO of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies when we represent the Jewish community and are an active component of multicultural NSW.”

In an email invitation sent by Mr Moselmane he wrote: “I hope this grassroots committee of Labor and Union members in our Multicultural community cannot only become a bridge between the Labor Party and the Union Movement as it is intended but also a conduit between the Multicultural community on the one hand and the party and union movement on the other”.

Upper House MP Shaoquett Moselmane.

Labor leader Luke Foley confirmed to The Daily Telegraph he had apologised to Mr Alhadeff for the incident.

“He did receive a written invitation to the meeting. Unfortunately Mr Moselmane says there was a miscommunication. NSW Labor maintains healthy and constructive relations with Vic and other leaders of the state’s Jewish community, and that will continue,” Mr Foley said.

LUKE FOLEY CONFIRMS HIS APOLOGY TO VIC ALHADEFF:

Meanwhile Mr Moselmane told The Daily Telegraph that Mr Alhadeff was “under a misapprehension that it was a multicultural community meeting”.

“Mr Vic Alhadef (sic) of the Jewish Board of Deputies, did in fact seek admission to the meeting. As convenor, I explained he was under misapprehension that it was a Multicultural community meeting. I explained it was in fact a Labor Action Committee meeting.

Quiet cordially, he opted to leave as he is not a Labor party member,” Mr Moselmane said in a statement.

Luke Foley rang Mr Alhadeff this afternoon and “apologised” for Mr Moselmane’s actions. Picture: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

NSW Labor frontbencher Walt Secord condemned Mr Moselmane’s actions.

“NSW Jewish Board of Deputies’ executive director Vic Alhadeff had an official personal invitation from the NSW ALP General Secretary and the head of Unions NSW — and was welcome to attend,” he said.

“It was stupid ... and vindictive to refuse him entry into a multicultural event.”

“The actions do not reflect the views of NSW Labor.”

Multiculturalism Minister Ray Williams raised the incident in Question Time this afternoon and praised Mr Alhadeff for his role in NSW as a religious leader.

“I was indeed shocked and appalled to hear that such a fine outstanding defender of social cohesion, a strong supporter of peace and harmony in our communities was refused entry to what has been described as a multicultural event held by the Labor party,” Mr Williams said.

“(Mr) Moselmane confronted Vic Alhadeff at the front door and advised him that he was not welcome at this event.”

Mr Moselmane was embroiled in controversy is 2013 after he gave a speech in parliament comparing resistance to the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon with that against Nazi Germany.

During the speech in 2013, Mr Moselmane reportedly said Gaza was “the world’s largest open-air prison camp”.

Originally published as Muslim MP denies Jewish leader entry to Labor event