New South Wales (NSW) Police dropped inquiries into multiple Islamic clerics in Sydney after determining their sermons, which included anti-Semitic rhetoric and calls for jihad, did not meet the threshold for a criminal offence under existing state or Commonwealth laws. Specific cases where inquiries were dropped include
Sheikh Kamal Abu Mariam:
Police ceased investigation into a sermon he delivered at the Roselands Mosque in late 2023, during which he allegedly made comments that included the phrase to “Count them, kill them one by one, and do not leave a single one of them alive”, referring to “Zionist Jews” in Israel.
Brother Ismail and Abu Ousayd (Wissam Haddad):
Both state and federal police (AFP) dropped investigations into sermons delivered at the Bankstown Al Madina Dawah Centre, where clerics called for jihad and recited parables about killing Jews.
Sheikh Ahmed Zoud:
Inquiries into a December 2023 sermon at Lakemba’s As-Sunnah mosque, where he described Jews as “monsters… thirsty for bloodshed”, were also ceased by police.
The decisions caused public uproar and drew criticism from Jewish community leaders and federal opposition politicians, who argued that such rhetoric should fall under anti-incitement provisions.
In response to the backlash and the perceived loopholes in the law, the NSW government streamlined Section 93Z of the Crimes Act, which outlaws public incitement of violence, to allow police to lay charges without prior approval from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
In a separate, recent development following the Bondi Massacre, the Al Madina Dawah Centre run by Wissam Haddad has been ordered to cease operations by the local council because the building was only approved for use as a medical centre.
