THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS

STATEMENT
LABOR MUST CONDEMN HATE PREACHING IN AUSTRALIA 

Tuesday 10 June 2025

Revelations published in The Australian concerning the hate preaching of Sheik Abu Hamza – also known as Samir Mohtadi – should concern all Australians who care about our national unity and social cohesion.

The Opposition rejects Sheik Mohtadi’s anti-Semitic statements, as well as his repudiation of our democratic values and way of life. The ancient hatreds that he preaches are not welcome in Australia, as they stoke fear and division within our community.

The majority of Australians of Muslim faith – many who arrived here as migrants and many who escaped terrible circumstances – would be utterly appalled at Sheik Mohtadi’s radical comments. It is their voices, with strong leadership and support from the Albanese government, that we must hear from now in repudiating Sheik Mohtadi.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke must condemn Sheik Mohtadi’s comments, and remind Australians that we all an individual duty to uphold our national values and unity.

The Coalition also calls on the Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) to swiftly investigate Sheik Mohtadi’s registered charity – the Islamic Information and Services Network of Australasia – to make a determination on whether it is fit to continue to operate.

Sheik Mohtadi may wish to change Australia, our democratic traditions and the values that sustain it. But we will not change for him. His comments have no place in Australia, nor should we tolerate them.

[ENDS]