Petition to request sacking of Peter Dutton over comments gathers 6000 backers

It’s been one week since Peter Dutton bound an entire community to violence — and Lebanese Muslims are still hurting.

Ghaith Krayem believes Peter Dutton should be disqualified.

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It’s been one week since Peter Dutton bound an entire community to violence — and Lebanese Muslims are still hurting.

Their sense of identity was tarred last week when Mr Dutton, the Minister for Immigration and Border Control, stood in Parliament and said 22 out of the last 33 people charged with terrorism offences were Lebanese Muslims.

Ghaith Krayem, who used to live in Picnic Point, said his parents who live in Canterbury-Bankstown were, like many people, feeling confused.

“They’re in shock,” he said.

“They see themselves as every other Australians who’ve done everything to raise us as Australians that contribute to the community.”

Mr Krayem, who is also the former president of the Islamic Council of Victoria, has started a petition on Change.org calling on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to sack Mr Dutton.

Australian Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton.

Started last week, the petition had 3000 signatures in 24 hours, and now has 6327 supporters.

While Mr Dutton defended his “honest” comments, Mr Krayem said no politicians have publicly denounced him.

He said that is why he believes Mr Dutton needs to be disqualified.

“To start the healing process there has to be some big change,” Mr Krayem said.

“The response from the Prime Minister is hugely disappointing. He is supporting his comments by not saying otherwise.

“This is how comments like these become normalised.

“If it is not challenged, then the next time someone says it, we will be a little bit more immune to it.”

Mr Krayem is not alone in his views, with others in Canterbury-Bankstown responding similarly.

Former Canterbury councillor Karl Saleh says he is one of the Lebanese migrants who arrived in the 1980s and currently has a successful family that contributes to Australia daily.

Former Canterbury deputy mayor Karl Saleh has also called on Mr Dutton to be disqualified and called his comments “outrageous”.

Lebanese Muslim Association president Samier Dandan made an emotionally-charged statement last week, calling on the government to hold Mr Dutton to account.

“Mr Dutton is just another in a long line of politicians and public personalities to question our community ... and to reduce us as a community to a stereotype and a caricature,” Mr Dandan said.

“We at the LMA refuse to bind ourselves to this rhetoric.”

President of the LMA Samier Dandan.

Late last week, Mr Dutton defended his “honest” comments which generated both controversy and support.

“The vast majority of Lebanese-Australians are law-abiding, hardworking, good, decent people who are besmirched by a small element within their community who are doing the wrong thing,” Mr Dutton said.

“I have been factual in what I said and I want to make sure that we have the best possible country.”