Australia: Muslim cleric facing antisemitism lawsuit calls it ‘a struggle between Islam and non-believers’

Image: Jihad Watch

A Sydney-based Islamic preacher is facing a landmark legal battle in the Federal Court of Australia over allegations of racial discrimination against Jewish people, in a case that is rapidly becoming a flashpoint in the national debate over the limits of religious freedom and hate speech.

Wissam Haddad, also known as Abu Ousayd, is being sued by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), the country’s peak Jewish representative body. The case centres on a series of sermons delivered in November 2023 at the Al Madina Dawah Centre (AMDC) in Bankstown. During the lectures, Haddad allegedly described Jewish people using deeply offensive terms such as “vile,” “treacherous,” and “cowardly.”

According to the ECAJ’s complaint, Haddad quoted from Qur’anic verses (ayat) and Prophetic traditions (hadith) referring to Jews in 7th-century Medina, but then extended these references to make sweeping generalisations about Jews in the present day—portraying them as “wicked and scheming,” as well as excessively materialistic. The council argues that this amounted to vilification and breached Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which prohibits public acts likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate a person or group based on race or ethnicity.

The sermons were recorded and widely circulated online, further amplifying concerns over their potential influence.

However, Haddad's legal defence maintains that his sermons were delivered in good faith as part of religious instruction and historical analysis. He argues that the content was not intended to incite hatred but to provide an Islamic perspective rooted in scripture. His legal team is also challenging the constitutionality of Section 18C, asserting that it infringes on the constitutional right to freely practise religion in Australia. If the court rules against him, Haddad contends, it could set a precedent that criminalises the expression of core Islamic teachings.

On the eve of the case being heard before Justice Angus Stewart, Haddad took to Instagram to frame the legal proceedings in existential terms.

“This isn’t about Abu Ousayd or Al Madina Dawah Centre versus the Jewish lobby,” he wrote. “This is a battle between Islam and the kuffar,” using the Arabic term for non-believers—a word often considered derogatory depending on context. He further claimed the lawsuit was a direct attempt to “criminalise” sacred Islamic scripture, warning that the implications could extend far beyond his own case.

“They wish to take and make those ayat and hadith and historic accounts that speak about the Jews—what they see as insulting—they seek to make it criminal,” he said.

Legal experts say the case could be one of the most significant tests of the balance between religious freedom and racial vilification laws in Australia’s modern history. Human rights advocates are closely watching to see whether the court will affirm the right to critique or interpret religious texts—even when that interpretation is deemed offensive by others—or whether such speech crosses the line into unlawful hate speech when broadcast to a wider public audience.

The hearing comes at a time of growing concern over rising antisemitism and Islamophobia in Australia. Jewish community leaders argue that religious freedom must not be used as a shield for racial or ethnic hatred, while some Muslim groups fear that legal overreach could lead to the policing of faith-based expression.

The case is expected to have long-lasting implications for interfaith relations, public discourse, and the way religious teachings are interpreted and shared in a multicultural, pluralistic society.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)