Sydney, March 9: Anglican, Catholic, Indigenous and Muslim community leaders have joined in seeking to block the imminent deportation of one of Australia’s most senior Islamic leaders.

Sheikh Mansour Leghaei, his wife and one of his four children are facing deportation to Iran on Friday, March 19, despite having lived in Australia since 1994.

Dr Leghaei plays a leading role in “interfaith” dialogues which work across religious divides to develop social services, such as youth outreach. More than 1,000 letters are being sent to Immigration Minister Senator Chris Evans from prominent community leaders including:-

• Anglican Minister Father Dave Smith
• Former head of the Cancer Council Australia, Professor Alan Coates
• Franciscan nun Sister Aileen Crowe
• Uniting Church Minister Rev Hannie Hoffman
• Boxer Nader Hamden
• Indigenous leader Pastor Ray Minniecon
• Marrickville Mayor Sam Iskander

“Dr Leghaei has been central to our combined work in the community with the young and the disaffected. We are horrified at the thought of trying to continue this work without him,” said Father Smith, founder of the Christian Save the Sheikh Coalition.

“At a time when it is more important than ever to build bridges between people of different faiths, his removal will provoke enormous bitterness and tension.”

Dr Leghaei, a moderate Shia and Australia’s leading English speaking Iranian cleric, leads the 1500-member Imam Husain Islamic Centre in Earlwood and is the elected head of the local Interfaith Committee.

He has been denied permanent residency in Australia due to two adverse security assessments issued by ASIO several years ago. He has been fighting for 10 years to have these assessments overturned but  an immigration appeals tribunal last month rejected his final application to remain in Australia.

Dr Leghaei strenuously denies that he is a threat to national security.
Community leaders say he has never been told the reason for the assessments and has repeatedly been denied procedural fairness and natural justice.

“I can vouch for the fact that Dr Leghaei is no threat to national security. We call on the Minister to order a new security assessment and enable the sheikh’s important work to continue,” Father Smith said.

www.savethesheikh.com

Christian Save the Sheikh Coalition spokesperson: Father Dave Smith 61-2-9569-1255

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.

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.

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’

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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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

Council write to the Federal Government expressing Council’s support for Sheikh Mansour Leghaei as he has played an active role in our community and other communities over many years. As an important part of our community he makes great contributions and his loss to the community would be a great loss to the area.

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.

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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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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