Anyone who attends memorial services at mosques in Sydney and Melbourne honouring the so-called “martyrdom” of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, should be placed on an ASIO watch list.
Family First National Director Lyle Shelton said it was shocking that Muslim leaders would be encouraging their followers to venerate a man who just machine gunned 30,000 civilisations and has sponsored global Islamic terrorism for decades.
“These events in support of one of the bloodiest butchers of this century are deeply offensive to the many victims of the Iranian regime and to the Iranian diaspora in Australia who fled that tyranny,” Mr Shelton said.
“Any Australian citizen who turns up to this should be put on the ASIO watch list. Anyone on a visa who attends should be deported,” Mr Shelton said.
“The Imams organising this and events like it should be asked to explain why this does not amount to support for terrorism.
“He funded the Islamic terrorists who raped, murdered and kidnapped innocent civilians on October 7.
“He inspired the Muslim mob at the "gas the Jews" protest at the Opera House, two years of pro-Hamas protests on our streets, the Harbour Bridge march where his image was carried by supporters, Bondi and the recent Town Hall protest.
“Too many Australian Muslims have learned nothing from Bondi,” Mr Shelton said.
“Where are the ‘moderate’ Muslim leaders calling this out?
“How are we supposed to believe Islam is a religion of peace? Clearly it is not.
“The event advertised for Arncliffe in Sydney says there will be a reading of the Koran at the service honouring Khamenei. That’s akin to reading the Bible at a memorial in honour of Hitler.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns was right to describe the mourning of the Ayatollah as “atrocious”. By any objective measure, the Iranian regime has a long record of repression, violence and brutality against its own people and the wider region.
Australia has formally listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation and last year the Albanese Government expelled Iran’s ambassador following findings that Iranian operatives were linked to anti-Semitic incidents in Sydney and Melbourne.
“In that context, public events in Australia praising or mourning the leader of such a regime amount to support for Islamic terrorism,” Mr Shelton said.
Family First agreed with Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin’s call for any mosques honouring Khamenei to be subject to criminal investigations for links to the IRGC.
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