Cleric Dr Ali Al Samail who advised Minns Government on Jewish safety also wanted terror group bans lifted
A cleric brought in to advise the NSW government on Jewish community safety has apologised after his comments to throw open the gates for terror groups to operate from Australia were revealed. SEE THE VIDEO
EXCLUSIVE: A cleric brought in to advise the state government on Jewish community safety preached to bring down federal Labor and throw open the gates for Hamas and Hezbollah to potentially recruit, train and bankroll their operations from our suburbs.
Auburn’s Ahl Al Bait Islamic Centre cleric Dr Ali Al Samail was parachuted onto the NSW Faith Affairs Council in December after a personal intervention by the multiculturalism minister, bypassing his own government’s rules requiring most members be nominated by at least two religious organisations.
Less than three months later, Dr Al Samail and the council were advising the Minns Government on criminal laws shielding Jews from threats as they enter synagogues across the state.
But this masthead can reveal that Dr Al Samail, who also works as a GP in Leichhardt and Meadowbank, was separately urging worshippers to rail against federal Labor MPs – including Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke – and the Albanese government’s listing of Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations.
In an April sermon, he backed two Muslim independents, including a serving local government councillor who once met with a senior Hamas official in Gaza, to help oust Labor from majority government.
“We need to understand that we have to put more pressure on the current government … The goal is to force Labor into what’s called a minority government so they [don’t have] enough seats to rule on their own”, he told his congregation.
“Alhamdulillah we have two Muslim candidates running in the local seats of Blaxland and Watson”, he said.
Their “goal is to help influence” the Albanese Government’s “very concerning” national security decisions such as having “continued the listing of Hezbollah and Hamas as a terrorist organisation”.
De-listing these organisations would potentially make it legal for Australians to join Hamas and Hezbollah, run their operations from Sydney suburbs, recruit fresh foot soldiers, train them on domestic soil and bankroll their war chests.
Dr Al Samail vowed that if the candidates “make mistakes we have a better channel to give them feedback and replace them if we need to, but at least we have the access”.
One of the candidates he backed is Ahmed Ouf, now a Cumberland City councillor, who in 2012 travelled to Gaza where he met with senior Hamas political leader Ismail Radwan — before its political wing was also listed as a terrorist organisation.
Mr Ouf was accompanied in Gaza by now-Canterbury-Bankstown councillor and former deputy mayor Khodr Saleh, photographed alongside Hamas’s now-deceased political chief Ismail Haniyeh.
The second candidate, Dr Ziad Basyouny, addressed the United Community Protest for Gaza “honouring two years of resistance” on Tuesday night.
Dr Al Samail also denounced the Albanese Government last year listing the Houthis as a terrorist organisation as well as its mandatory jail sentences for displaying terrorist symbols, branding the measure “extremely unreasonable”.
“While the current Labor government is better than, you know, having Peter Dutton, there are a lot of things they’ve done that have been very concerning,” he said.
“The goal is not to replace the Labor government with the Liberal government. That would be worse.”
In August, the Albanese Government expelled Iran’s ambassador and pledged to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation after ASIO chief Mike Burgess warned that Tehran had already sponsored anti-Semitic arson attacks on Australian soil.
When contacted by this masthead, Dr Al Samail quickly retracted his comments, saying “they were incorrect”.
“I understand they have caused hurt to members of the Australian community and I apologise to anyone who experienced pain or distress as a result of this,” he said.
“The last two years have been deeply traumatic for people impacted by the conflict in the Middle East.
“I will continue to dedicate myself towards promoting and fostering community harmony.”
NSW Minister for Multiculturalism Stephen Kamper, who praised Dr Al Samail’s “calibre” when making the original appointment, said his sermon comments were “not consistent with the role of the Faith Affairs Council”.
“We must continue to work together through the issues we face rather than succumb to division,” he said.
Mr Ouf said his policy positions were only communicated by his official platforms.
Mr Saleh said he served “always within the framework of law and respect”.
Dr Basyouny did not respond by time of publication.
