savethesheikh.com

On Saturday June 26th we had a formal farewell at the Imam Husain Islamic Centre.  More than 1000 people crammed in – people of all faiths and cultures from across the region. On Sunday morning Mansour joined us at Holy Trinity Church to farewell his many supporters there.  That evening, despite Sheikh’s attempts to dissuade us from coming to the airport, more than 300 of us showed up to make our final farewells.

It was an emotional time.  Indeed, I find it hard to watch the video coverage below without the tears welling up again.

The story was also covered briefly on Ten News. You can see that here.

The fight does not end here. The Australian Government has until Ocotber 21st to respond to the United Nations Human Rights Committee and explain why they charged, judged and executed Sheikh Mansour without ever telling him what he’d done wrong.

If you have any ideas as to how we can put pressure on the Australian government to respond to the United Nations, submit them to the Fighting Fathers Forum (nb. you’ll need to use VIP code ‘NO HOMERS’ to register).

Greens Senate candidate for NSW Lee Rhiannon MP, and Greens candidate
for Grayndler, Sam Byrne, have added their voices to the large number
of community members in the inner west of Sydney who have opposed the
deportation of Earlwood based cleric Sheikh Mansour Leghaei.

“It is deeply concerning that without charge Sheikh Leghaei can
removed from the community he has called home for 16 years, said Ms
Rhiannon.

“There appear to be some vague and ill-defined concerns that ASIO has
regarding the Sheikh’s relationship to the Government of Iran, the
country he and his wife grew up in. But if that should be a crime then
surely a democratic country should test any concerns publicly in a
court of law.

“The proposal to deport Sheikh Leghaei is a fundamentally undemocratic
and dangerous act, and I call on the Minister for Immigration, Senator
Chris Evans, to use his power to halt the proposed deportation.

“It is clear from the broad support that the Sheikh has in the
community that not only does he not present a threat, but to the
contrary, he is assisting in building a more cohesive and strong
community in our area,” said Mr Byrne.

“The Sheikh is a gentle, peaceful man who has done great work with
people less well off and, working with people like Father Dave Smith
from the Holy Trinity Church in Dulwich Hill, has done much to bring
together people of different faiths and cultures. He is no threat.

“While the current Federal Labor Government has taken some important
steps towards healing the rifts caused to our community by the Howard
Liberal Government’s demonising of refugees and tacit support for the
racially motivated fear campaigns of One Nation, it
has to do a lot more to end fear in our community of people from
different cultures.

“The Marrickville, Canterbury, Ashfield and Leichhardt areas are by
and large great examples of where people from around the world have
made new communities; communities that are treasured by their
residents. Sheikh Leghaei clearly plays an important and peaceful role
in building our community, and that role should not be ended by the
paranoia of security agencies with a history of getting it wrong, and
by legislation which fails to demand that allegations by security
agencies be openly and publicly examined,” said Mr Byrne.

Contact: Lee Rhiannon on 0427 861 568 or Sam Byrne on 0408 231 509

Sydney, April 1:  Christians in the Dulwich Hill and Marrickville area are staging a 24-hour prayer vigil over the Easter Weekend to pray for the welfare of the local Islamic community and for their spiritual leader, Sheikh Mansour Leghaei.

Representatives of the Anglican, Catholic and Uniting churches as well as members of the indigenous and Muslim communities are expected to join the vigil at the Holy Trinity Church, Dulwich Hill, from 9 am on Saturday, April 3 until 9 am on Easter Sunday.

Dr Leghaei, a moderate Shia cleric, is facing deportation along with his wife and 20 year-old son.  He is a key member of the local interfaith community, which holds dialogues across religious divides to address common community issues such as youth outreach and marriage counselling.

“I’m not trying to downplay the differences between our faiths,” said Father Dave Smith, parish priest at Holy Trinity Dulwich Hill, “but there are fundamental things that unite us that are greater than our differences, such as our commitment to justice for this good man.”

Despite living in Australia for 16 years, Dr Leghaei has been denied permanent residency due to two Adverse Security Assessments issued by ASIO. He has never been told the reason for the assessments and strenuously denies that he has ever been a threat to national security.

Prominent human rights and civil libertarian groups, including the International Commission of Jurists and the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, have raised concerns over the lack of procedural fairness in ASIO’s treatment of Dr Leghaei .

Dr Leghaei has lodged a last ditch appeal to the Immigration Minister, Senator Chris Evans, to allow him to remain in Australia and continue his important work.

“We believe that everybody should have the right to a fair trial, regardless of their race or religion, and regardless of whether they are citizens or not.  This in itself is an issue that should have everyone at prayer,” Father Dave said.

Media are invited to cover the prayer vigil

When: Saturday, April 3, from 9 am

Where: Holy Trinity Church, Cnr Seaview & Herbert Sts, Dulwich Hill

Father David Smith, 61-2-9569-1255 (or use contact form at www.fatherdave.org)

For more details, download the Easter Prayer Vigil poster here