Thu 24 Jun 2010
”It makes me sick to the stomach.” The quote is from me (Father Dave), as reported in Rick Fenley’s June 22nd article in the Sydney Morning Herald, “Time running out for sheikh told to leave“.
The quote is with reference to the way the Australian government persuaded the United Nations to withdraw their request for a stay on the deportation of Sheikh Mansour Leghaei, on the basis that they are not actually breaking up his family.
The government claimed that because they had given visas to Mansour’s wife and youngest son that they were therefore not damaging the family unit. Hoever, in reality, the Sheikh and his wife and daughter will be forced to head back to Iran with Mansour, thus leaving three sons in Australia and breaking the family in half.
As the article also makes clear though, the United Nations is still pursuing the Australian government over concerns that Australia has violated fundamental human rights treaties to which it is signatory in the way it has treated Sheikh Mansour (eg. the right of every person to a fair trial). The government has been given until October 21st to respond to the United Nations’ concerns. Read the full article here.
Another major media outlet to cover the Sheikh’s story is Al-Jazeera. As well as the clip displayed below, Al-Jazeera is considering a full-length documentary concerning the Sheikh’s treatment.
June 25th, 2010 at 10:46 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 Trail? Just a Fair Go, nothing else?
Why not?
June 27th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
Compelling evidence…
The person who, might, influenced the initial adverse security assessment about Dr. Leghaei, probably, had the political psychology and religious philosophy dominated by pseudo allegations and personal biasness!
January 29th, 2013 at 6:04 am
What is the Australian government up to? The correspondence gives no indication as to the nature of these ‘additional submissions’, nor does it offer any time-frame within which it intends to lodge such submissions, nor does it provide any justification as to why such submissions should be accepted at this late stage.