savethesheikh.com

On February 19th Sheikh Mansour Leghaei was given 28 days to leave the country.  That means that as of today (March 4th) he technically only has 15 days left!

We trust that Sheikh will be given a visa extension while the Minister for Immigration considers his formal submission, appealing the decision. Even so, those who would act to protest this terrible injustice must do so NOW!

The most important thing everybody can do now is to sign the Save the Sheikh Petition.  Here’s what you need to do:

1. Right-click here and choose ‘save target as’ to download the petition.
2. Open it and print off multiple copies
3. Sign it yourself and ask others who support the Sheikh to sign it.
4. Send your signed petition back to the Imam Husain Centre by March 14.

nb. The address of the Centre is printed at the bottom of the petition, along with the return date,  so you won’t forget. 🙂

Our hope is that once these petitions are collected we will be able to present them to the Minister for Immigration in person in Canberra.  The trip is currently scheduled for March 17.  If you’d like to join us on the trip to Canberra put this date tentatively aside in your diary now.  Confirmation will be given on this site closer to the date.

Other ‘Save the Sheikh’ activities that are in the pipeline include:

• a formal press conference (probably next Wednesday)
• a supporters BBQ (possibly on Sunday March 14)

I know there’s talk in our church too of holding a 24-hour prayer vigil here at Holy Trinity Dulwich Hill, and inviting the Prime Minister and other Christian political leaders to join us in praying that justice is done.

Updates will be posted to this site as soon as confirmation of events has been given, so stay in touch and keep praying!

P.S. To see the article in the Bankstown Express about the Sheikh and myself, click here.

Sheikh Mansour was quite excited when he rang me to tell me that the Immigration Department was giving him a Tribunal hearing where he could appeal to have his security assessment reviewed.  I thought it sounded like a great opportunity too, and happily accepted his invitation to attend the hearing with him and speak as a character witness.  It appears now though that the hearing was simply a proceedural requirement whereby the Department could rubber-stamp the Sheikh’s deportation order!

I was one of a number of persons who spoke passionately in support of the Sheikh.  The Tribunal officer, I thought, could not but be impressed by the testimonies he heard.  Surely he would recognise Mansour as a man of peace and integrity, and reject the negative security assessment that was given him so many years ago.

But as a legal expert later explained to me, ‘why would he do that?’ The Tribunal officer is just another cog in the machine.  It’s not really his place to question assessments made by ASIO.  In theory, he could go out on a limb and challenge the national security services on their assessment, but why would he do that?  Do we really expect him to put at risk his job and his reputation for the sake of an Iranian cleric?

And so the appeal was rejected, and the machinery of deportation grinds on towards its seemingly inevitable conclusion!  Is there anything left for us to do in the name of justice and for the sake of both Sheikh Mansour and our broader community?

Of course there is:

1. Firstly, if you personally know the Sheikh and know him to be a man of peace and integrity, sign this petition.
2. Write to the Minister for Immigration, Senator Chris Evans.  If you can get your letter completed before Friday February 26 2010, forward it to the Imam Husain Islamic Centre andit will be added to 100’s of others that will be presented to the Minister en masse.  Otherwise send it directly Parliament House, Canberra.
3. Pray.  We could do with some intervention from the Almighty!

Sheikh Mansour is a personal friend of mine who I hold very close to my heart.  And yet this case is about more than just the victimisation of one good man.  It reflects very seriously on the Australian justice system, where it’s now legal to deny someone justice because they are not an Australian citizen.

Moreover, the deportation of Sheikh Mansour will not only be a tragedy for his immediate family but a significant loss to our whole community, and a big step backwards in the work of building relationships of mutual understanding and respect between the Islamic and non-Islamic communities of Sydney.

This 3-minute documentary is a brief outline of how Father Dave and Sheikh Mansour became friends.

The documentary was put together by Dave Mitchell – a friend of Father Dave’s and a fellow parishioner at Holy Trinity Dulwich Hill.  Mitchell wanted to know how the friendship developed in the midst of so much nation-wide Islamophobia.

This is a low-budget doco, but I think Dave did a magnificent job in getting the message through. And the message is this: that Christians and Muslims can be friends.

Prejudice is always based on ignorance, and in the case of the Australian Islamic community the media has done a great job of reinforcing stereotypes and maintaining ignorance.

Father Dave says “change begins when we move beyond talking about our Muslim neighbours and start talking to them.” and that’s the story behind ‘Fists of Affection’

After more than a year of silence, the media have again taken up the case of Sheikh Mansour Legaei, though the motivation seems to be less one of human interest than the opportunity to score political points against Federal MP’s.  The following is a response to the recent article in ‘The Australian‘.

21st July 2009

Fair Go for the Sheikh

Sheikh Mansour Leghaei finds himself unwillingly dragged back into the spotlight with the publication of a recent article in The Australian newspaper

“I’m not sure what all this fuss is about”, said Sheikh Mansour, “as nothing has changed in my case. Hopefully this is an indication that I am soon to receive a fresh and more accurate security assessment”

Sheikh Mansour’s immigration status has been ‘in limbo’ for 12 years now. He received an adverse security assessment in 1997, which he has been questioning ever since. The Sheikh does not know the details of allegations made against him, and in 2007 he lost a High Court battle to find out what crime he had allegedly committed.

The recent article in The Australian did not contribute any new information to Sheikh Mansour’s case. Indeed, it appeared to be more concerned with targeting the Federal MP’s involved in his case than with Mr Leghaei’s welfare.

Much was made in the article of Federal Attorney General, Robert McLelland’s letter of support for the Sheikh. In truth, his was one of 86 such letters of support.  Sheikh Mansour has received broad support from across the community, from both Muslim and non-Muslim people, including representatives of the indigenous community.

The Sheikh received unanimous support from Marrickville Council, who wrote to the Minister for Immigration, pleading his case. Further, local church leaders showed their confidence in him when they unanimously elected him as chairperson of their local inter-faith forum.

The article also insinuated that Father Dave Smith – Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Dulwich Hill and founder of the ‘Christian Save the Sheikh Coalition’ – had acted improperly in trying to get advice from local MP’s regarding how best to proceed with the Sheikh’s case.

“I did try to get advice”, said Father Dave, “but no one would talk to me. I still don’t understand why politicians aren’t allowed to give political advice, unless that is how they defend themselves against unprincipled journalists.”

Father Dave went on to say, “I trust that this latest fuss won’t work against the Sheikh in his application to continue his work in this country. In my opinion our community will be much poorer without Sheikh Mansour. He is a bridge-builder between our different ethnic and religious communities and a true man of peace.”

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Below is a template for a letter to the Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, appealing that he use his discretionary power to allow Sheikh to stay in the country.

Note that the letter does not suggest that we know all the factors that have led to the government’s negative assessment of the Sheikh. Rather, the focus is on his right to procedural fairness – the belief that everybody in this country is entitled to a ‘fair go’.

Please adapt this letter in a way that makes it your own, but maintain the attitude of respect, believing that the Minister is concerned to see justice done.

The Hon. Chris Evans
Minister for Immigration & Citizenship
Parliament House
Canberra
ACT 2600

Dear Minister,

RE: SHEIKH DR.MANSOUR LEGHAEI

I/We write this letter in regards to the immigration case of Sheik Mansour Leghaei, which had not been resolved over the last 11 years (his application having been lodged on the 1^st November 1996).

As an Australian resident/citizen/Australian residents/citizens I am/we are concerned about the manner in which Dr. Legghaei’s case had been dealt with and the process adopted. As a person/persons who knows/know him personally/know of him and have witnessed his service and contribution to Australian community we request you to look into the case again and give him a fair hearing and a reasonable consideration of his case.

Further more we place before you our trust in Dr. Leghaei as a person who has worked towards peace, inter-religious harmony and settlement of new migrants with Australian values into the community, and do not consider him as a person who would cause any threat or disadvantage to the Australian community. On the contrary the Leghaei family had been well loved and accepted by all al who have into contact with them.

Thanking you for a favorable response to gain permanent residence

Yours Faithfully/Sincerely,

Name
Organisation
Position

Feel free to contribute your own letter as a comment