Australia’s immigration system is being called into question after Sydney and Victorian mosques held mourning ceremonies for Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei was killed after joint strikes by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28, ending his 36-year rule.
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has recently raised concerns about the stance of a number of mosques and Islamic organisations that held memorials or paid tribute to Khamenei after his death, saying their actions do not reflect Australian values.
“You’re always going to get a few fools in any group who might do something stupid like this. But if this is officially sanctioned by these mosques, which it appears to be, it’s of great concern,” he told Sky News Australia.
The senator then said there were issues with Australia’s migration system and called for stricter character requirements for migrants.
“It goes back to why we have run a migration system that has allowed people into this country that clearly do not share our values and principles,” he said.
Wong Says She’s Really Disappointed
On March 3, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong condemned the mourning events held by mosques and Islamic organisations.“I can say I’m really disappointed that people would want to do that,” she said.
“This is a man who’s led a regime which has caused death, in many parts of the world, destruction. It is a regime that engineered or was related to attacks on Australian soil, and a regime that killed its own citizens.”
Wong’s comment echoed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who earlier said that it was not appropriate to hold ceremonies to mourn Khamenei’s death in Australia.
“We have a clear position as the Australian government ... I am sure that is shared by the overwhelming majority of Australians, including the overwhelming number of Australians of Iranian descent,” he told ABC News.
Government Withdraws Funding To Mosque
In a related development, Minister for Multicultural Affairs Anny Aly has announced that the Labor government would withdraw a $670,000 (US$471,000) grant to the Taha Humanity Association in Victoria, a Muslim organisation that reportedly held a mourning event for Khamenei.“Due to social cohesion concerns, I’ve decided to not go ahead with a grant for the Taha Humanity Association,” she said in a statement.
“We are not proceeding with this election commitment.”
Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson expressed support for the Labor government’s decision.
“It is a good decision, I’m glad that it’s happened, but I think we do have to ask some questions about the due diligence of the Albanese government in making this announcement,” he told ABC News.
“I would suggest that any organisation that thinks it’s a good idea to mourn the Ayatollah Khamenei, who is the leader of a designated terrorist organisation in Australia and a terrorist state that has attacked Australia and among other countries, any organisation who thinks he’s worthy of mourning is probably an organisation that is rife with extremist views.”
Paterson also called for an explanation from Assistant Minister Julian Hill, whom he believed was familiar with the Taha Humanity Association.
“I really think Julian Hill needs to explain why he recommended and advocated for this grant and why he didn’t warn the government that the views of people at this community centre might be incompatible with the government’s objectives for social cohesion,” he said.
