Dutton ‘unfit to lead’ after Muslim comments, says southwest Sydney Liberal

A 16-year Liberal councillor has called leader Peter Dutton ‘unfit’ to lead the country after he said he was ‘concerned’ about ‘Muslim candidates from western Sydney’.

Mazhar Hadid campaigning in 2015 as the Liberal candidate for the state seat of Liverpool.

A 16-year Liberal councillor in the heart of southwest Sydney says Peter Dutton is “unfit” to lead the Liberal Party or country after he said he was “concerned” about “Muslim candidates from western Sydney”.

The claim comes as more Islamic leaders distanced themselves from The Muslim Vote campaign, calling it “populist and divisive”.

On Saturday, Liverpool Liberal councillor Mazhar Hadid – a Muslim and co-founder of Australian Islamic House – said the Opposition Leader’s comments were insulting to the community and the “divisive” language called into question his capacity to lead.

“Leadership requires the ability to unite, not divide; to respect, not alienate ... and your current stance fails all of these,” said Mr Hadid, who has been the Liberal candidate in the state seat of Liverpool twice.

“It is not just your capacity to lead our party that is in question but also your suitability to govern our country effectively.”

On July 4, after Labor senator Fatima Payman’s resignation and the emergence of The Muslim Vote campaign, Mr Dutton said Labor would be reduced to minority government after the election.

Liberal Liverpool councillor Mazhar Hadid.

He predicted it would rely on crossbench support that would “include the Greens, green teals, Muslim candidates from western Sydney – it will be a disaster”.

Mr Hadid – the first Liberal to criticise the comments – said the party had run Muslim candidates, including himself, and asked how far Mr Dutton’s concern extended: “What would your stance be if you found yourself in a position where your minority government included members of this community?

“This is not just a political misstep; it reflects poorly on our cause and commitment to inclusivity and respect for all Australians. Your approach and rhetoric make it abundantly clear that you are unfit to lead our great party.”

Mr Hadid said he felt compelled to speak out, having been filled with “deep disappointment and concern”, calling Mr Dutton’s language “fundamentally un-Australian”. “We’ve come so far (as a party) only to be let down,” he said.

It comes amid the emergence of The Muslim Vote and its bid to oust the ALP in Muslim-heavy seats.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman

The campaign has said it would endorse independent candidates at target seats, who will run with a pro-Palestine focus, although more Muslim leaders, including Mr Hadid, have distanced themselves from the campaign.

On Friday, leaders from Australia’s Ahmadiyya community raised concerns about faith-based parties and emphasised that the country was secular and voters were entitled to make their own political choices.

On Saturday, veteran community broadcaster Abraham Zoabi called the campaign “populist” and said it would isolate the community, while Dr Jamal Rifi said it had capitalised on emotion and was peddling “grievance and religious politics”, and that pushing a case for Palestine within the major parties would bring more success.

The Muslim Vote has said it would support independent candidates in target Sydney and Melbourne seats, such as Blaxland and Watson.