Thu 24 Jun 2010
This is a post I had hoped to avoid making. There will be a farewell for Sheikh Mansour Leghaei, his wife Marziah, and his daugther Fatima, on Saturday June 26 at 8pm.
The gathering will take place at the Imam Husain Islamic Centre (6 Lang Road, Earlwood). It will not include dinner as the team felt that numbers would be impossible to estimate and probably impossible to cater for.
Everyone is invited. It will be a painful time in so many ways, and yet we intend to close this chapter of our campaign with dignity and thankfulness, believing that the battle for Mansour’s fundamental human rights can yet be won, and that our relationship with him is by no means over, even if, for a time, he will not be with us in person.
June 25th, 2010 at 10:49 am
This Wednesday, I went to offer evening prayers in Imam Husain Islamic Centre but Sheikh Mansour wasn’t there to lead the prayers. Probably he’s busy in packings, etc., I though with sorrow…
…when I was coming out of the centre, to drive back home, my daughter aged four suddenly asked me, “baba where is that old man who used to greet and love us, every time we visited here”? I had no answer!
And, probably, I wouldn’t have an answer in future as well, but a big question mark.
Why didn’t my country give him a Fair Trial? Just a Fair Go, nothing else?
Why not?
June 25th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Beautifully put, Syed!
June 26th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
They are deporting him because he is a Muslim.
ASIO claim that he is an Iranian intelligence operative.
Even if that were true, there are American, British, Israeli and European intelligence operatives living in Australia and ASIO do not care.
This is part of Australia\’s institutional Muslim-persecution (Islamophobia is too mild a term )
June 27th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
I wish the very best to sheikh. someone like him should be honored.
shame!
June 27th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
I am an Iranian and I support government’s decision. these Mullah’s like sheikh are killing and torturing people in Iran only because they are not Shiite muslim or they do not agree with Iranian government.
Just count the number of political and social Iranian refugees in Australia.
Sheikh was a part of network organized by Revolutionary Guard of Iran to support terrorist groups around the world. they are a secret group called Mahdavie. they are dangerous.
June 27th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
ibrahim,
just because there is bad mullas in iran, does not mean that every Iranian sheikh is bad. We can’t generalise the bad actions to everyone look the same.
or what is your proof that sheikh mansour himself agrees or belongs to such actions??
Everyone know sheikh, does know for sure that he is innocent. His existence is a security to the country.
Please be fair and respect our grief for sheikh departure.
Only what we asked from gov is to have him had fair trial…if they could prove that he is guilty that is fine, but what if he is innocent??
do they know how much damage they caused unfairly to an innocent human being??!
June 27th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
ebrahim,
When we read the initial muslim history, we find what Arabs did to the only daughter, and her entire family, of their own prophet Mohammad!
Since the day of demise of prophet Mohammad, no one can even dare to count the number of (shitte) muslims murdered or were forced to take refuge, worldwide, just because of their love and obedience to the family and the sayings of the prophet Mohammad. Can you?
As for as the network you alleged is concerned, if we could open our daydreaming eyes, surely, we find the muslim terrorists, worldwide, belonging to the mushroomed networks, all, run and funded by the non-shitte muslims. The most notorious examples include Al-Qaida, Taliban, Lashkr-e-Taiba, Jaish-Mohammad, Jundullah, Khilafah Movement, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, etc., just to mention a few for the correction of the record!
Last but not the least, the person who, might, influenced the initial adverse security assessment about Dr. Leghaei, probably, had the same political psychology and religious philosophy dominated by the pseudo allegations and biasness that is also expressed in your reply here.
June 27th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
Please accept my apology for typos and read the word ‘shitte’ as ‘shiite’ or shia instead.
June 28th, 2010 at 2:23 am
Dear father dave,
I just want to say thank you very much for every thing, support , being fair , your kind heart..
I prayed for you deeply and wish all the best to you…
you are a teacher to us same as sheikh mansour.
June 28th, 2010 at 9:55 am
It’s now Monday and Sheikh Mansour has flown out of Sydney. I feel sad that our government has become so insensitive and it is their silence that hurts most. I am also sorry that my commitments at a conference over the weekend did not enable me to say goodbye to Sheikh Mansour. I pray for peace and safety to him and his family until they can return.
June 28th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Last night was truly a sad night for most of us, but this does not have to end. We will all fight together to bring this noble character back to his much loved community.
Father Dave – Thank you for your continued support through out this mission, and I pray to the Almighty to grant you and all of us the strength to continue this fight until justice prevails!
June 28th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
Last night we said our final goodbyes to dear Mansour at the airport and it was a very emotional time. I am still finding it hard to talk about.
What I can (and must) say is that the warmth and generosity that has been shown to me, not only by the Sheikh but by so many in the Islamic community, has been truly humbling. I am deeply grateful to God for the privilege of having known Mansour and his congregation.
June 28th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
As a long time opposer of the death penalty I have always sought to determine just what it is I find so obnoxious about capital punishment. I suppose the most disturbing thing for me is the fact that in putting a man to death we aren’t just ending his life; we’re also cutting all of the ties that bind him (or her) to the rest of humanity. To me that is the most cruelest aspect of executing someone. It is cruel, cold and inhumane.
When I saw the Sheikh on television tonight, waving at supporters as he went through to the departure lounge at the airport, I saw the similarity between this case and capital punishment.
And I felt at once a truly gut-wrenching sense of shame at what the government of this country has just done. That the Sheikh and his family might harbour no ill-will of this country does not in way mitigate the cruelty of the government and, especially, ASIO.
While I have never met the Sheikh, I shed a tear tonight in seeing him leave Australia. For he and his family, what happened to them, and the wonderful support that was shown by Father Dave and the Christian & Muslim communities, this is all a very subtle reminder of the beauty of humanity and the importance of us all remaining true to each other.
June 28th, 2010 at 11:18 pm
I feel so sad..I can not get over it…
I pray that god help him ,his family and all the people who suffer his departure
come back in peace…
June 30th, 2010 at 10:42 am
Dear Honorable Father Dave,
We surely miss our great scholar, now that he has gone and our sorrow will forever remain with us till he returns and we have the opporunity to hug iur dear scolar and family member again.
My salutations to you Father Dave for standing up for Human Rights and for this cause. You are indeed a shining example with a pure heart. May God Bless you for your honesty, your love, your compassion and your kindness. Would you be able to schedule a visit for us to the Church? as I am sure the whole gathering would more than welcome this opportunity and we should continue the good work that you and Sheik were performing by marching towards unity amongst Humans. Lets keep the movement for UNITY going.
July 1st, 2010 at 4:44 am
I do not live in Sydney and I feel huge pain…I wonder how my brothers and sisters who were very close to sheikh doing…
I feel that waiting to October is too long…I just can\\\’t do it…I do not know how to do it…what had happened is so wrong..
I wonder if there is a way to let our pain out…like letters to gov…Just anything that will make the case move and HAVE HIM BACK
If the gov take the decision to take this step..Isn’t it, their responsibility to take the consequences as well…what were the gov plans for us? Did they think about us? Or they though we can take it…we should manage ourselves??…were they fair to us???
This move had serious effect on most of his people….just too much..
Accept my apology for my pain…
July 1st, 2010 at 4:49 am
Dear Sheikh’s lawyer..
cant we do any thing beside waiting till october…is there is a way to express our grieve to gov to have them listen?
July 1st, 2010 at 5:39 am
can we write a letter to julie…is there is a way?
July 3rd, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Hi D,
I’ve written a letter to Julia Gillard. I’m not so knowledgeable in politics, but I think that any action is good isn’t it? 🙂
I still find it very hard to talk about Dr Leghaei without tears welling up my eyes. My friends from different cultures and faiths are very sad as well, they are also in shock that this can happen to someone who has been promoting harmony in Australia.
Ebrahim, it is unfortunate that you are making an accusation against a person without substantiated evidence. A person is proven innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around.
Please join Father Dave’s forum, it would be a great way to discuss ideas so that we can all find great ways to help Dr Leghaei’s case. The truth shall prevail!!! 🙂
Father Dave, I agree with HA, many people would love to visit your church and have lots of activities together. I have a lot of friends from different faiths, and would love to get to know people from different cultures too 🙂