Queensland Imam Issues Apology After Sermon Referring to Jews as ‘Sinister’

An Islamic leader who attended a vigil for Bondi shooting victims uploaded a video where he called Jews ’the greatest enemy of the prophet of Allah.’

A Kurdish volunteer of a local charity organization holds copies of Quran, Islam's holy book to be distributed a day before the starting of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, for displaced Iraqis who fled from Mosul and other towns, in Irbil north Iraq, Saturday, June 28, 2014. Across a wide belt that stretches halfway around the globe, the worlds estimated 1.6 billion Muslims will mark the beginning of Ramadan this weekend. The holy season is marred by unprecedented turmoil, violence and sectarian hatreds that threaten to rip apart the Middle East, the epicenter of Islam. AP Photo/Hussein Malla

Brisbane imam Uzair Akbar has issued a public apology after posting a video where he called Jews “sinister” and the “greatest enemy of the prophet of Allah.”

The apology comes after Akbar joined Queensland LNP Premier David Crisafulli at an interfaith vigil at the Holland Park Mosque for the Bondi Beach terror attack in December.

The comments appeared in one of the imam’s YouTube video uploads this month titled: “Are Muslims Pushing People Away?”

The video has since been removed.

In the recording, Akbar says Jews are the “greatest enemy of the prophet of Allah” and they gave the “hardest time to the prophet of Allah,” noting that because his remarks were being recorded he had to “to be very careful.”

“That the prophet of Allah had been so lenient, so accommodating, [but] had to be expel them from Medina,” he said in reference to a historical incident which saw the expulsion of three Jewish tribes from the region.

“Why were they expelled? Because they gave a hard time ... they were breaking the contract they were signing ... and we can see their sinister ideology, their sinister plotting and planning until today,” he said.

In his apology posted online, Akbar said the sermon was delivered “some time ago” and had been uploaded in January.

“It was delivered within a broader theological and historical discussion,” he said.

“However, I acknowledge that certain words used in that sermon were inappropriate and could reasonably be understood as offensive and hurtful to members of the Jewish community.

“I regret those words and I am sincerely sorry for the hurt they have caused to Jewish people. That was never my intention.”

Akbar said he stood against anti-Semitism as his faith prevented him from having hate or hostility to others based on identity or religion.

The imam said he would reach out to leaders in the Jewish community to “listen, to reaffirm my support, and to make clear my opposition to anti-Semitism.”

Open Letter Calls for Accountability

An open letter to Premier David Crisafulli penned by Minority Impact director Hava Mandelle, community advocate Daniel Eskin, and University of Queensland Professor Yoni Nazarathy called for the premier to take a stand on the comments.

“On December 21, 2025, you stood in Brisbane City Hall and issued a defining statement,” the letter says.

“You rightly identified that ‘it’s the preaching of poison, it’s the war of words,’ that led to the Bondi Beach massacre.

“You made a commitment to Queenslanders that their safety is paramount and that the incubation of hate would not be tolerated under your watch.”

The Jan. 22 letter describes the imam’s remarks as “textbook anti-Semitism” and says Akbar preached hate after claiming to stand against it.

“For the imam to present such a message three weeks after ’standing in solidarity' with the Jewish community, is an indication to his community that hate is acceptable,” the letter states.

The Epoch Times contacted the premier’s office and the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies for comment.