Islamic medical association’s bizarre statement blasted after Bankstown nurses video

The Australian Islamic Medical Association has issued a bizarre statement after two Sydney nurses threatened to kill Israeli patients in a highly-publicised video, prompting swift condemnation by a top Jewish leader.

The Australian Islamic Medical Association has issued a bizarre statement after two Sydney nurses threatened to kill Israeli patients in a highly-publicised video, expressing concern over what it claims is “unfair and unwarranted media targeting of Muslim healthcare workers in Australia”.

The association’s complaint drew condemnation by Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin, who told The Daily Telegraph on Thursday that the nurses’ incident “wasn’t about religion and nobody made it about religion — the issue was about the sanctity of patient care”.

Last week, Bankstown Hospital nurses Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh were filmed making vile comments on an online chat forum to Israeli content creator Max Veifer, who then uploaded the video online to expose them.

In the video, Nadir claimed he had killed Jewish patients at the hospital, while Lebdeh said: “When your time comes, I want you to remember my face … you will die the most disgusting death.”

Police are yet to lay charges against the pair, whose actions were widely criticised by political and religious leaders, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said: “It is very clear to me that these people have committed what are crimes”.

Nadir and Lebdeh speak in the video while on shift at Bankstown Hospital.

Max Veifer later uploaded the video online to expose the pair.

While not mentioning the nurses, the Australian Islamic Medical Association said in the statement on Thursday it was disappointed over what it said was the “recent unfair and unwarranted media targeting of Muslim healthcare workers in Australia”.“We have observed with increasing alarm a disturbing trend in certain media outlets to single out and misrepresent Muslim healthcare workers, often framing them as serving foreign interests,” it said.

“This insidious narrative is not only baseless, but also deeply damaging, fostering division and distrust within our healthcare system and the wider community.

“We must remember the invaluable contributions of Muslim healthcare professionals to Australian society.

“For decades, Muslim doctors, specialists, allied health professionals and support staff have served with dedication, compassion and excellence across all areas of healthcare.”

But Mr Ryvchin said the statement “totally mischaracterises the issue” in relation to the Bankstown Hospital incident.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin criticised the Islamic association’s statement, saying it was trying to ‘muddy’ the issue.

He said the actions of the nurses should not be judged in terms of religion, but simply on the vile comments they made while speaking to Mr Veifer.

“It’s a defence of the indefensible that reflects very badly on this organisation, this issue wasn’t about religion and nobody made it about religion,” he said.

“The issue was about the sanctity of patient care … it’s an attempt to muddy the issue.”

NSW Police detectives are continuing their investigations and are finalising a statement from Mr Veifer to “ensure it meets Australian legal standards to be admissible in court”, a spokesman for the force said.

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Originally published as Islamic medical association’s bizarre statement blasted after Bankstown nurses video