‘I’ll be fighting tooth and nail’: Muslim leader vows to back Labor

Muslim leaders have warned against a new pro-Palestinian political group that vows to target Labor ministers at the next election, saying the faith-based movement could backfire by deepening community division.

The warning comes as the federal government struggles to find a consensus candidate in the Muslim community to fill a new post to combat Islamophobia, slowing the plan which would match this week’s appointment of an envoy for antisemitism.

GP Jamal Rifi in front of his medical centre in Belmore, Sydney. Credit: Wolter Peeters

The government is trying to contain anger over the war in Gaza in key electorates with thousands of Muslim voters, while the Greens accuse Labor of siding with Israel, and the Coalition says Labor offers too much support for an independent Palestine.

The new movement, called The Muslim Vote and backed by Sydney Sheikh Wesam Charkawi, has labelled several cabinet ministers as “weak on Palestine”, and has threatened to run candidates against Labor at the election.

Muslim community leader Jamal Rifi said the new movement was wrong about senior Labor figures such as Employment Minister Tony Burke and Education Minister Jason Clare, given their public positions on the Middle East.

“I totally disagree with The Muslim Vote on that. They are totally ignorant of everything those two people have done over the years and in the immediate past,” he said.

“I’ll be fighting tooth and nail to protect our friends in the Labor Party.”

Rifi, who founded Muslim Doctors Against Violence, has strongly criticised some Labor members in the past – including Tania Mihailuk, who later joined Pauline Hanson’s One Nation – but said it was important to support good people within the party.

“I will defend Tony Burke and Jason Clare – I’ve known them for years and they are men of integrity,” he said.

“They have worked honourably and they have not taken our votes for granted.

“As a matter of fact, The Muslim Vote are taking voters for granted by not identifying themselves and expecting everyone to follow their instructions.”

Sheikh Wesam Charwaki has called many Labor MPs “weak on Palestine”.Credit: Fiona Morris

Bilal Raouf, legal affairs adviser to the Australian National Imams Council, said little was known about the new political movement.

“For instance, we are not aware that any community organisation or specific candidates are involved. We do know the underlying concern,” he said.

“We do know about what is occurring in Palestine. These factors will play out at various levels in our society, including at the ballot box.”

Another top Islamic community leader, who declined to be named so they could speak freely, said there was a mix of admiration and concern about The Muslim Vote.

“There is some worry that a new movement could fuel conspiracies about Muslims seeking power and changes to the law, which would increase Islamophobia,” the leader said.

“It could also have the effect of diminishing the influence of Muslims within major political parties.”

The government has run into trouble trying to find an envoy for Islamophobia, someone it hoped to unveil around the same time as this week’s announcement of Jewish leader Jillian Segal as federal antisemitism envoy.

Islamic community and government sources, speaking anonymously to detail private talks, said a disparate Islamic community leadership had struggled to settle on a candidate for a role whose parameters were unclear.

The sources said one candidate was unsupported by the government and another had concerns about the position’s scope and the ability to speak out about the war in Gaza.

Rifi confirmed he had been sounded out about the position but said he withdrew because he was about to return to practice as a doctor at a new medical clinic. He backed the concept as a good way to combat hate speech.

But the president of the Islamic Council of Victoria, Adel Salman, said Muslim leaders viewed the push for an Islamophobia envoy as a tokenistic gesture.

“We were not asking for an envoy,” he said, confirming the government had encountered difficulty finding a person for the position.

Senator Fatima Payman last Thursday when she quit the Labor Party.Credit: James Brickwood

“The envoy would need to be someone respected for being forthright and not an apologist for the government.”

The Muslim Vote did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday, but Charkawi told the ABC last week that Labor was losing support in the NSW electorates of Blaxland and Watson, held by Clare and Burke respectively.

Senator Fatima Payman, who last week split from Labor over Palestine, on Wednesday told The Conversation that she did not think The Muslim Vote’s alliance should form a Muslim party.

“I can’t speculate what they plan on doing and not doing. But what I can say is, I don’t think it would be wise to have a Muslim party,” Payman said.

“And so if I was to advise them, I’d say … you need to look at your broader base.”

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