Muslim leader Sheik Wesam Charkawi driving the bid to topple Labor in southwest Sydney

Muslim community leader Sheik Wesam Charkawi is the man aiming to topple Labor across southwest Sydney as other prominent figures warned the ALP of electoral abandonment.

Popular community leader Sheik Wesam Charkawi is a driving force in a bid to topple Labor across southwest Sydney. Picture: AAP

Community leader Wesam Charkawi is mobilising the Muslim vote across key southwest Sydney federal seats to topple Labor at the next election as prominent figures warned the ALP of electoral abandonment.

Sheik Charkawi, a Western Sydney University PhD candidate, is the brains and organiser behind The Muslim Vote campaign, The Australian can reveal.

It is one among many websites to emerge recently targeting Muslim Australians to support pro-Palestine candidates or oust sitting members who are not, including some Laborministers, and rates them on their voting record and stance on Israel.

The emergence of such campaigns, and popular and well-connected figures such as Sheik Charkawi driving them, will remain a headache for Labor HQ until and during the federal election, likely to be early next year.

Last month Sheik Charkawi – a Sunni Muslim – led calls for the dismissal of ASIO chief Mike Burgess, who had said Sunni Islamic extremism posed the “greatest religi­ously motivated threat in Australia”.

The Australian revealed in April how Labor feared key Sydney heartlands, such as Jason Clare’s Blaxland, Anne Stanley’s Werriwa and Tony Burke’s Watson, could be at risk, given community anger about the Gaza war.

Worshippers participate in Eid al-Fitr prayers, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, outside the Lakemba Mosque in April.

Sheik Charkawi, a frequent presence at the University of Sydney’s pro-Palestine encampment, was unreachable but has told his large following “things were in motion” for the next election and the Muslim vote had been “taken for granted”.

Outside Parramatta MP Andrew Charlton’s electorate office – another seat the campaign has targeted – Sheik Charkawi said it was “time to change the status quo” and a campaign was “mobilising for the election”.

Last month the campaign warned Labor its stance on the war would cost it at the election, particularly among young voters, saying it was “alienating its base”.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 29 of the 151 federal electorates have 5 per cent or more people of Islamic faith – 27 of those 29 seats are held by Labor.

Of those 29, 16 are held by Labor on margins of 10 per cent or more, and at the previous election it suffered primary vote swings against it of up to 18.5 per cent.

Six of the 10 biggest swings were in seats with large Muslim communities. Mr Clare’s Blaxland and Mr Burke’s Watson are each held with about a 15 per cent margin. Muslim voters make up 35 per cent and 27 per cent respectively in the two seats.

Southwest Sydney Muslim leaders said the party would be naive to think it wouldn’t suffer at the polls.

Labor minister and Watson MP Tony Burke.

Minister and Blaxland MP Jason Clare.

“You’d have to be absolutely naive to think there wouldn’t be electoral backlash,” Lebanese Muslim Association general secretary Gamel Kheir said 

He stressed that the community was appreciative of Mr Burke and Mr Clare, and it would be aimed at the party at large. “There’s a sense that they (Labor) will be punished for the stance they’ve taken on Palestine.”

Mr Kheir said although the community wasn’t homogenous, it would no longer default to Labor. “The community is younger and clear on who is going to best represent them,” he said, adding that they felt their voice was “not being heard”.

Mr Kheir said it “hurt more because it’s Labor”, comparing Anthony Albanese’s vocal criticism of damage to the US consulate with what he said was a lack of criticism of Israel.

“Labor has traditionally looked out for minorities and migrants, we held them to a higher standard,” he said.

Although Sheik Cherkawi’s campaign may not run candidates, several pro-Palestine independents will run as viable protest votes and likely would be endorsed by it.

Lebanese Muslim Association general secretary Gamel Kheir

Dr Jamal Rifi, pictured with an award of "outstanding community sector leader" at the ZEST awards in May.

The Greens’ pro-Palestine stance is also rising in popularity, although the party would struggle for widespread support.

Of the sheik’s campaign, Mr Kheir said it could be “revolutionary”. “Our community is nuanced, filled with second or third-generation migrants, a patchwork of Australia … there’ll be collective backlash (against Labor),” he said.

Community leader Dr Jamal Rifi said although most elections were fought over the economy, the next would have more emphasis on foreign policy, namely the conflict. “It will play a bigger part than before,” he said.

Dr Rifi noted that it was the same government who reversed a relocation of Australia’s embassy to Jerusalem.

“When they made that decision the local reaction was one of happiness, their score was high,” he said.

“That score is now low – but it remains the same government (who did that).”

Dr Rifi pointed to a “tightrope” the government had to walk, especially given Hamas’ terror designation, and pointed to an “incremental but gradual” shift in its approach to Palestinian statehood and its people, revealing that meetings between the community and government were bearing fruit.