Mon 10 Dec 2007
** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE **
Father Dave
Holy Trinity Church, Dulwich Hill
Tel: 02-9569-1255
Fax: 02-9569-1220
Email: dave@fatherdave.org
11 Herbert Street, Dulwich Hill, NSW 2203
Christians, Muslims, Sisters, Brothers!
A good time had by all at the ‘Save the Sheikh’ BBQ
God blessed us with clear skies for the inaugural ‘Save-the-Sheikh Friendship BBQ’, held at Hurlstone Park, in Sydney’s inner-west on Sunday, December 9th.
Between five and six hundred supporters of Earlwood’s Sheikh Mansour Leghaei came together and enjoyed a warm atmosphere and a good Aussie grill, provided by members of the Sheikh’s Imam Hussein Islamic Centre.These supporters included local Christians, peace activists, and persons from across the community who wanted to show their support for the Sheikh, in addition to the many members of the Sheikh’s own congregation.
Well-known super-middleweight boxer, Nader Hamdan, was there, showing his support for the Sheikh. Indigenous Christian pastor, Rev. Ray Minniecon, was also there, and he took the opportunity to formally welcome the Sheikh and his congregation on behalf of the traditional owners of the land, and to acknowledge the contribution they had made to the larger community.
Father Dave, coordinator of the ‘Christian Save the Sheikh Coalition’ said, “If I remember, this BBQ started out as a spontaneous idea for some of us to get together and enjoy each other’s company. It wasn’t initially designed to make a political statement. But I guess whenever we cross these divides between races and religions we are making a statement, and our statement is this: ‘Christians, Muslims, Sisters, Brothers!’”
Supporters of the Sheikh reminded the gathering of the crazy situation Sheikh Mansour now finds himself in, where he has been asked to ‘deport himself’, having apparently been labelled a ‘national security risk’!
The tragic irony of the situation of course is that neither the Sheikh nor any of his supporters have any idea what risk it is that he is supposed to be posing to the country? Indeed, as a man with a long record of faithful community service, and as a renowned bridge-builder between races and religions, those who know the Sheikh are at a loss to try to understand why he has been targeted. And yet it seems that ASIO, who are responsible for the label, do not have to justify their reasoning either to the accused nor to his supporters, nor even to the courts!
When the Sheikh addressed the gathering he said, “I only ask for the opportunity to show that Sheikh Mansour is not a threat to national security, to show that Sheikh Mansour is here to serve the Australian community”.
The Sheikh’s supporters are appealing to the new Rudd government to give the Sheikh this opportunity, for the sake of the community and for all Australians.
December 11th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Hi,
I completely support a fair go for the Sheikh.
December 11th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Father Dave I cannot thank you enough for your support, you are a gem!
What you have done for this man is beyond belief, God bless you and your family.
December 11th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
It has become flagrantly obvious that the Sheikh has been targeted because of the tireless work he has performed on behalf of the wider Australian community, representing ordinary Australians. Thus in the eyes of our governing elite and their vile associates, the Sheikh must go because he represents a potential threat to their decadent avaricious agenda. Do not be fooled into thinking that a change in government will amend all this. My warning regarding the Labour party, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and co “Beware of avarice masquerading as progressivism”.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:19 am
I attended the public rally to support Sheikh Mansour Leghaei on Sunday 9th Dec at Ewen Park. It was a great success and it was nice to see the support for Sheikh Mansour coming from different parts of the community. I know this man very well, I attend his classes and have known him on a personal level for many years now. I have nothing but praise and utmost respect for the work he is doing. He is a real inspiration and positive influence to numerous young and old Australians. It’s quite clear to me that he is not a threat to any society, in fact he is an asset, or a “bridge builder” as said by Father Dave of the Holy Trinity Church, who is a close friend of his. This man is a positive contributor to our society and losing him would be unthinkable and an immense loss.
I hope the new government under Prime Minister Kevin Rudd can fix up the big blunder made by the previous government under John Howard, and allow this man to become a permanent member of our society. Or at the very least, let him hear the so-called allegations against him, which I believe are non-existent, so he can defend himself in a court of law. How can the law restrict anyone from hearing the charges or evidences against them? If this happened in any other country our Government would be the first to scrutinise it, but when it happens in our own backyard our politicians and leaders support it – a bit hypocritical if you ask me. We cannot allow this injustice to take place, and the government should give Sheikh Mansour a fair go, as giving each other a fair go is one of the values we hold so dear as Australian citizens.
March 6th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Father Dave
you are not favouring Sheikh who is a muslin but as a matter of fact you stands for human values and fasir play for all human beings irrespective of the religion of the people concerned. You will be remembered as a unique person by the history.
zawar shah