The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC), Australia’s leading organisation fighting anti-Semitism and hatred in all its forms, has expressed its deep concern about anti-Semitic comments posted on the Sydney Morning Herald in relation to its article on the Muhammad Raza Saqib Mustafai, the Pakistani scholar visiting Australia who was ordered to return home after a video sermon surfaced showing him saying that the world will be purified when every Jew will be wiped out.
ADC Chairman, Dr Dvir Abramovich, issued the following statement:
“I am appalled by the level of vile and egregiously anti-Semitic remarks posted. As we watch with concern a resurgence of anti-Semitism and the growing menace of discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, we need to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to this burgeoning threat and to cancerous hate speech and incitement. Many of the posts contain dangerous, vicious anti-Jewish comments and clearly overstep the mark of what is acceptable rhetoric. This risks normalising such ugly sentiments and sending a message that it’s OK to demean and malign anyone on the basis of their faith and background. One user accuses Jews of controlling the media, of killing Jesus and spreading homosexuality, and another urges users to kill Jews. The Facebook page of the SMH should not become the weapon of choice to be used to vilify Jews, and to spread prejudice. We urge all media outlets to take the lead and put in urgently putting in place necessary mechanisms so they can effectively monitor what is being posted and prevent their powerful social networks from being used to actively promote racist speech.”
The Anti-Defamation Commission, founded in 1979, is Australia’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through educational programs that combat bigotry, prejudice and all forms of hatred.
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on (03) 9272 5677.