Radical preacher escalates threats ahead of court battle with ECAJ

Controversial Sydney preacher Wissam Haddad has intensified his rhetoric leading up to a Federal Court hearing, releasing a video widely condemned as a call to violence.

The video, featuring an image of a sword followed by a clenched fist, shows Haddad telling viewers: “We are not going to come unarmed; we’re going to fight them with everything that we have.” He appears to be referring to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), which is suing him under the Racial Discrimination Act.

According to The Australian, the video is an edited version of a sermon Haddad, also known as Abu Ousayd, originally delivered last month at the Al Madina Dawah Centre in Bankstown. In the sermon, Haddad claims he has “no problem facing the Jewish lobby” but frames the legal action as part of a broader attempt to bully the Muslim community, asking: “Isn’t it about time that somebody fights back?”

The ECAJ alleges that Haddad’s sermons violate Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. These sermons include claims that Jews are “vile,” “treacherous,” and the “descendants of pigs and monkeys.” The council is seeking a legal injunction to compel Haddad and the Dawah Centre to remove the offending sermons from public platforms and to prevent similar content from being published in the future. The ECAJ is not pursuing any financial compensation.

During an earlier hearing, Federal Court Justice Angus Morkel Stewart described the allegations against Haddad as “damning” upon initial review. He expressed doubt that the cleric’s statements could be protected by Section 18D of the Act, which provides exemptions for commentary made in good faith for religious or public interest purposes. Justice Stewart cited his own ruling in a previous case involving Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi and One Nation’s Pauline Hanson, where similar defences were rejected.

The Australian reports that the sermons detailed in court documents contain nearly 40 defamatory statements, including claims that Jews are “wicked people who love money” and “abuse the weak and target Muslims.” The ECAJ contends these statements are not religious teachings but rather incitement to hatred and vilification.

Security agencies, including NSW Police and the Australian Federal Police, have reportedly been monitoring Haddad due to his long-standing connections with Australia’s Salafi-jihadi networks. The Middle East Research Institute has identified him as a central figure in this radical subculture, and he has publicly acknowledged friendships with convicted terrorists Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar. Haddad has also voiced support for proscribed terrorist groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qa’ida.

The situation has garnered international attention due to the involvement of radical Michigan-based cleric Sheikh Ahmad Musa Jibril. Notorious for encouraging jihadist violence in the West, Jibril was identified by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence as one of the most influential online figures among Western jihadists. He has publicly endorsed Haddad and urged his followers to contribute to his legal defence.

A fundraising campaign for Haddad on GoFundMe has raised over $18,000, according to public figures on the site, though it remains short of its $25,000 goal. A post from a Salafi-aligned social media account alleged the court case was a conspiracy to silence Muslims, calling Haddad “one of the most targeted men in Australia by the disbelievers.” The post also made unsubstantiated claims about legal conditions imposed on Haddad, such as requiring him to attend Jewish places of worship and avoid critical references to Israel.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, a Jewish community representative stated that the violent imagery used by Haddad in his recent video is “not a metaphorical battle of ideas — it’s a visual summons to a physical confrontation.” The source added that such messages, while not representative of mainstream Islamic thought in Australia, have the potential to radicalise younger individuals and push them toward extremism.

Despite the serious nature of the allegations and growing public concern, Haddad remains defiant. In the video, he praises God for giving him the strength to resist, declaring, “This is something that I’m personally willing to do.” The raised fist that concludes the video has further fuelled fears that he is framing the legal process not merely as a personal battle, but as a symbolic religious struggle.

The case is scheduled to resume in the Federal Court today with national security officials and community leaders closely monitoring the proceedings. While Haddad maintains his sermons constitute protected religious speech, the outcome of this case could establish a significant legal precedent in defining the limits of free expression in Australia when it veers into hate speech.