savethesheikh.com

** 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 9^th.

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.

** 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

This coming Sunday in Marrickville (December 9th) there will be a lunchtime gathering of Christians, Muslims, and other concerned community members who want to show their support for Sheikh Mansour Leghaei, cleric of Earlwood’s ‘Imam Hussein Islamic Centre’.

Father Dave, coordinator of the ‘Christian Save the Sheikh Coalition’, said, “Sheikh Mansour is a good man and a good friend, and he’s a person who has given many years of faithful service to this community. It is only fitting that local persons from all faiths and persuasions come together to support him.”

Sheikh Mansour has been in Australia for 13 years, but was recently assessed as being a security risk by ASIO and has now been asked to deport himself! Unbelievably, the Sheikh has not been told why ASIO is concerned about him, nor is he being given any chance to defend himself. He recently appealed to the High Court, for the right to have his case given a hearing, but was told that because he was not an Australian citizen, he did not have the right to a fair trial!

“The treatment of Sheikh Mansour has been nothing short of outrageous”, said Father Dave. “If I were picked up in Iran (where the Sheikh comes from) on suspicion of some misdemeanour, but was told that because I was an Australian, I forfeited the right to a fair trial, we’d say, ‘what sort of totalitarian regime is this?’ And the answer would be, ‘it’s Australia, mate!’”

Father Dave went on to say, “Sheikh Mansour has always been a great advocate of the equality of all peoples, regardless of religion or race. By joining together for a good Aussie BBQ on Sunday, we want to build the bonds of friendship. Moreover though, we want to affirm together that everybody in this country should have a right to justice , regardless of whether they are Christian, Muslim or Jew, European, Asian or Arab, recent immigrant or one of the original indigenous owners of this land. We are all Australians here, and we should all be entitled to a fair go!”

Join us at Ewen Park (in Tennant Parade, Hurlstone Park) this Sunday,12.30pm start.

For more information, call Father Dave on (02) 9569-1255

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**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
Australia

Aussie Christians say, ‘Give the Sheikh a Fair Go’

A coalition of Christian clerics in Sydney’s inner-west has expressed outrage at seeing their local Islamic Sheikh threatened with deportation.

Father Dave, coordinator of the ‘Save the Sheikh’ Christian coalition, said, “Sheikh Mansour is a great guy. He’s a personal friend of mine and someone I deeply respect and admire. Moreover, he’s a pacifist and a man committed to building bridges between our faith communities and ethnic communities. The idea that this man could somehow be a threat to national security is simply outrageous”.

Last week Sheikh Mansour Leghaei lost his High Court appeal that might have allowed the Iranian-born Sheikh to stay in the country. The appeal was not over whether he was a risk to national security risk, but simply over whether he had the right to have the matter heard in court. Mansour’s request was denied. He was told that because he is not an Australian citizen, he does not have the right to a fair trial!

“Denying Mansour the right to defend himself is nothing short of outrageous”, said Father Dave. “If I was picked up in Iran on suspicion of some crime, but told that because I was an Australian, I had no right to a fair trial, the community here would be understandably incensed, and we’d see it as an act of a totalitarian regime. Why is it any different when the boot is on the other foot?”

Sheikh Mansour has no idea why ASIO has assessed him as a security risk and threatened to deport him. Indeed, given the sheikh’s immaculate record as a bridge-builder and man of peace, his supporters wonder if it isn’t the result of some clerical error. But there is no way of knowing! No one will tell the Sheikh what he has been accused of, and now the High Court has denied him the right to have any independent assessment made of the government’s supposed concerns!

Father Dave said, “Our government has been talking about how immigrants to this country should be accepting Australian values and the Australian way of life. What could be more Australian than giving someone a fair go? My mate Mansour has been denied the right to a fair go!”

Local Christian leaders met with the Sheikh at the Islamic centre in Earlwood  on Friday, November 23rd, to show their support and to discuss ways forward. This will be the first of a number of meetings, providing that the Sheikh isn’t forcibly deported before further actions can be organised. Updates will be posted to www.savethesheikh.com and to Father Dave’s website: www.fatherdave.org

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