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Thousands have gathered in Melbourne’s Flagstaff Gardens for the Islamic Council of Victoria’s open air Friday prayer in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Council president Adel Salman said the city’s Muslim community wanted to show public support for innocent civilians in Gaza caught up in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Organisers said non-Muslims were also welcome at the event.Credit: Justin McManus
“This is not a rally. I encourage you all to save your rallying for Sunday, inshallah [God willing],” Salman said as he addressed a large group of Victorians from atop a hill on the King Street side of the gardens.
“Today isn’t about that – today is about a prayer for Palestine.”
Imam Belal Assaad performed the khutbah, or sermon, at the service, citing the Koran in his call for peace, restraint and justice for the Palestinian people.
“My dear brothers and sisters, do not misunderstand me – Islam forbids all forms of unjust killings. Whether they be Muslims, Christians, or Jews, or any other people of any religion in the world,” he said.
Later, Assaad turned his attention to more than 6000 people reportedly killed in Gaza after Israeli attacks on the enclave, including children whose lives had been lost.
“What was their crime?” he asked.
Zak Ali, from Dandenong, took a day off work to travel to the CBD for the service. Asked why he made the trip, he said: “Because my brothers are oppressed. It’s as simple as that.”
“I think I don’t really believe the political system any more, because I don’t think it’s fully representative,” Ali said. “The Australian government has already said we stand with Israel. We’d love to hear anything about us.”
Zak Ali was among those praying in Flagstaff Gardens on Friday.Credit: Justin McManus
“We just think about the Jewish community. The Palestinians – their plight has never been heard in Australia.”
Before the service in the sunlit gardens, Salman told this masthead he encouraged everyone, regardless of their faith, to consider their message.
“First and foremost [our message] is solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters – Muslim, Christian and others,” he said.
“We’re calling for an end to the genocide that’s been perpetrated against the Palestinian people in Gaza. We want our Australian government to actually take a stand and actually call for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid.
“And ultimately, we want to see Australian government taking a leading role in actually achieving justice for Palestine because this issue is not going to go away.
“It’ll keep happening every couple of years until there is justice and an end to the occupation.”
Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Penny Wong joined Western allies in calling for a pause to hostilities in Gaza so that food, water and supplies could be delivered to Palestinian civilians.
“The way Israel exercises its right to defend itself matters … Innocent Palestinian civilians should not suffer because of the outrages perpetrated by Hamas,” Wong said.
Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, insisted that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was fair and praised the Albanese government’s solidarity with Israel, while calling for the world to remember “we are the victims, not the aggressor”.
Earlier on Friday, Arts and Employment Minister Tony Burke said he supported his local Sydney council’s decision to fly the Palestinian flag because Palestinian Australians whose family members were dying overseas had not had their grief acknowledged in equal ways as the country responded to the Israel-Hamas war.
In emotive comments that cautioned Australia against engaging in “competitive grief”, Burke said civilian families in Gaza would be the first to die as food, water and fuel ran out under an Israeli siege.
“We need to be able to distinguish, in the debate in Australia, between Hamas and Palestinians. There have been too many occasions where the two have been conflated,” he said on ABC’s Radio National.
Burke is the third Albanese government minister to speak out publicly about the way Palestinian Australians have felt treated since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, following the militant group’s deadly attack on southern border towns on October 7. Ministers Ed Husic and Anne Aly, who are both Muslim, last week said they feared Palestinians were being collectively punished for Hamas’ actions.
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