Australian Court Orders Islamist Preacher to Cease Anti-Jewish Sermons

Wissam Haddad, an Islamist preacher from Sydney, faced a landmark legal ruling after delivering speeches that described Jewish people using disparaging and anti-Semitic language, including terms like "vile" and "treacherous." Justice Angus Stewart found Haddad's sermons to be racially discriminatory and ordered him to remove the speeches and refrain from making similar comments in the future, rejecting Haddad's defense that his remarks were religious and historical lectures contextualizing the Gaza conflict. Jewish community leaders argued that Haddad's speeches were offensive and had the potential to incite violence, while Haddad's lawyers claimed protection under religious freedom. Haddad’s sermons had garnered thousands of views online, and during the hearing, he acknowledged awareness that the sermons would be publicly accessible. The case highlights ongoing tensions between freedom of religious expression and the prevention of hate speech. Separately, Christian leaders in the United States and India condemned a Hindu supremacist event promoting anti-Christian and anti-Muslim rhetoric, underscoring a broader context of religious nationalism and hate speech issues worldwide.