In the spirit of Ahmed el Ahmed, one of the Bondi heroes, the Mayor of Canterbury Bankstown, Bilal El-Hayek, with his council, has closed the Al Madina Dawah centre in Bankstown. The prayer hall, associated with a controversial cleric, Wissam Haddad, has been operating without planning permission, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. And note, Ahmed el Ahmed is a Bankstown man (pictured with his mayor).
A profile of Haddad by a team of SMH reporters includes: “Also known as Abu Ousayd, the Salafi cleric has, over many years, cultivated a network of followers, some of whom have been convicted of terror offences.”
The SMH quotes Premier Minns in an update, “I’ve got to take my hat off to Bilal [El-Hayek], the mayor of Bankstown. He’s taken decisive action in relation to this. They’re, they’ve been in conversation with both us and the planning department for a number of days, as well as New South Wales Police.
“And this is the kind of leadership that we need right now. Bilal has led that community for a number of years. He’s obviously decided this can’t go on. It’s not being used for the purposes in which the permit had been released. You can expect more of this, not less of it, in the coming weeks,” Minns said.
The Centre has issued a statement declaring it no longer has an association with Haddad, in terms of its board, but that the preacher gives lectures there on Fridays.
For those unfamiliar with the West of Sydney, Canterbury Bankstown is a very Multicultural LGA that includes a Korean cluster in Campsie and the largely Muslim area of Lakemba that houses Australia’s largest Mosque.
Here is the mayor’s reflection on the Bondi massacre: “A sea of flowers is growing by the day beside the sands of Bondi Beach, as people from all walks of life gather to pay their respects to the innocent lives lost in Sunday’s terror attack.
“The memorial site is eerily quiet. The only sounds are the crashing of the waves and the squawking of the seagulls, in stark contrast to the cries for help and the panic of those fleeing the two gunmen, who were firing indiscriminately at anyone in their sights.
“As the days pass, more and more stories emerge of the lives lost and the heroic acts of bystanders, first responders and police.
“Stories like Ahmed al-Ahmed, who pounced on one of the gunmen and wrestled his gun from him, or 10-year-old Matilda, who was killed as she enjoyed the festivities with her parents and sister, or the first police officer shot as they pulled up to help.
“There are many other stories of people putting themselves in harm’s way as they shielded lost children and the elderly from flying bullets.
“It was a dark day in our nation’s history and a day that must unite us as a community.
“On behalf of our City, we condemn this senseless act of terror and decry antisemitism and hate in all its forms. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the victims and their families, and to all those who played a role in helping others.
“While I know words cannot ease the pain, I extend my condolences to the Jewish community, the people of Bondi and the Mayor of Waverley Council. As a mark of respect, we will continue to fly our City’s flags at half-mast during this mourning period.”
Managing the fallout from the Bondi massacre is going to require tough calls. And a recognition that the younger terrorist grew up amongst us. A family known to this writer went back through their school photos and found him in a kindergarten class picture with their son at a local school.
The Canterbury closure highlights the liberality with which organisations have been allowed to breach planning and permit laws, and it has a history decades long. The NSW Government passed legislation in 2015 denying new churches in residential or CBD areas, and only allowing churches in light industrial areas: IN1 General Industrial and IN2 Light Industrial zones. This is why all new churches are built in light industrial factory units. By contrast Muslim Mosques and Bhuddhist Temples have been allowed to be built in residential and CBD areas by a slight of hand on permits. This is not to criticise those of those faiths in any way, yet simply to highlight the grey areas of State planning laws, which by applying for use as a “learning centre”, “school”, “education centre”, “healing centre”, “counselling centre” or “prayer hall” these organisations have been able to operate with mosque or preaching functions while gaining Federal, State government, and Local Council funding and grants. All the while Christian churches were and are denied planning approval in the same zoning areas. This case in Canterbury is yet proof of the continuing narrative, as it has been closed on the soft option of “permit breaches” rather than particular conduct. These zoning laws have up to now only affected and restricted Christian churches and thus appear to be a discrimination against one group (Christians) on the basis of religion. We may see the political class now use Bondi as a mandate to act on extremist and illegal centres, yet despite Premier Minns quoted as saying we will see “more of this not less” but this will only bring them into line with what Christian and Jewish organisations have endured for many years. After all, we have not seen the Prime Minister march in support of any pro Christian or Jewish rallies.