Canterbury Bankstown City Council has ordered the shut down of a local Islamic prayer hall being attended by controversial preacher, Wissam Haddad.
The Al Madina Dawah Centre was previously granted approval by the Council to operate as a medical centre but the site is reportedly being used as a religious prayer hall.
A council spokesman said the change of use from a medical centre to a prayer hall or place of worship required development consent, which had not been sought and was therefore unauthorised.
The centre has been has been issued with a notice to comply with regulations.
It’s believed 24-year-old alleged Bondi terror attack shooter, Naveed Akram, was a frequent visitor to the centre.
Preacher, Wissam Haddad made headlines earlier this year when a court ordered that he remove a series of lectures found to contain “fundamentally racist and anti-Semitic” material. The material was found to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act in action launched by Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
In his judgment, Justice Angus Stewart said the speeches carried imputations Jewish people were “very mischievous”, that Jewish people “control the media”, and that “their supporters are murdering cowards”, among other anti-Semitic claims.
Mr Haddad, who adheres to a puritanical version of Islam known as Salafism, has been linked to known terrorists including slain IS fighters, Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar.
Premier, Chris Minns said he supported the actions of the Council.
“There is no place for hate speech in NSW which is why we are supporting all action to clamp down on those inciting hate, and we will not stop,” he said.
Meanwhile, in response to the Bondi massacre, the NSW Government has confirmed it will introduce tough new laws banning hateful symbols and giving police greater powers to remove face coverings during public assemblies.
At the same time, the Government said it will urgently examine additional measures to further crack down on hateful slogans.
Legislation will be introduced to the NSW Parliament today which makes it an offence under NSW law to publicly display terrorist symbols such as ISIS flags without a reasonable excuse.
The offence will carry a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment or a $22,000 fine and up to $110,000 for organisations. A reasonable excuse includes for an academic purpose or for another purpose in the public interest.
The legislation will also give police more powers to require someone suspected of committing an offence during a public assembly to remove their face covering. Currently, removal can only be required to confirm someone’s identity if they are arrested and detained or suspected of committing an indictable offence.
This change will lower the threshold during public assemblies so anyone suspected of committing any offence, including lower-level offences, can be required to remove their face covering.
“Horrific recent events also show that the chant “globalise the intifada” is hate speech and encouraging of violence in our community. This chant will be banned alongside other hateful statements used to vilify and intimidate our community,” said Premier Minns.
“The Attorney General will ask the Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety to conduct a quick investigation into other hateful statements and recommend which statements can be specifically included in the state’s tough hate speech laws to be introduced when parliament returns in the new year.
“These reforms are designed to protect the community, prevent intimidation and allow NSW Police to focus on keeping people safe.”
It follows changes announced during week to tighten gun laws and temporarily restrict public assemblies following a terrorist attack.
