A Muslim leader has said he won’t condemn the two nurses who were filmed threatening to ‘kill’ Jewish patients in their hospital.
Ahmad ‘Rashad’ Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, both of whom have Islamic backgrounds and worked at Bankstown Hospital, in western Sydney, appeared on an online video chat app recorded by Israeli social media influencer Max Veifer.
‘It’s Palestine‘s country, not your country you piece of s***,’ Abu Lebdeh said in the video which went viral on Wednesday.
‘One day your time will come and you will die the most horrible death.’
Mr Nadir, while making a throat-slitting gesture, then said: ‘You have no idea how many (Israelis) came to this hospital and I sent them to Jahannam (hell)’.
When asked what she would do if an Israeli patient presented in her ward, Abu Lebdeh responded: ‘I won’t treat them, I will kill them’.
While Lebanese Muslim Association Secretary Gamel Kheir admitted Mr Nadir and Ms Lebdeh’s comments had ‘no place in Australia’, he refused to extend the same criticism to the nurses themselves.
He then drew an odd comparison between the nurses and embattled Matildas captain Sam Kerr and her labelling of a UK policeman as ‘f**king stupid and white’.
Lebanese Muslim Association Secretary Gamel Kheir refused to condemn Bankstown Hospital employees Ahmad ‘Rashad’ Nadir (left) and Sarah Abu Lebdeh (right)
Lebanese Muslim Association Secretary Gamel Kheir is pictured
Mr Kheir drew an odd comparison between the nurses and embattled Matildas captain Sam Kerr’s calling a UK policeman ‘f**king stupid and white’
‘Let me give you an example… Sam Kerr. Do we condone her statements? No, we condemn the statements that she admits she made. But did we condemn her? No,’ he told Sky News on Thursday.
Mr Kheir also expressed concerns for the wellbeing of Ms Lebdeh and Mr Nadir.
‘Has anyone checked on their mental health? Has anyone checked on their welfare at the moment?’ he said.
‘My reaction is, as any fair, decent Australians would be … We condemn such hate speech, but I will not condemn the individuals.’
He added that an ‘education process’ needed to be put in place.
‘But that sort of speech in that sort of department has no place in Australia. Everyone should feel safe going to a hospital,’ he said.
When questioned if the nurses’ comments were a reflection of broader anti-Semitic sentiments within the Australian Islamic community, Mr Kheir said it had ‘no tolerance for antisemitism, Islamophobia, any form of racism or vilification at all’.
‘The Muslim community should not be held to account for the acts of two individuals,’ he said.
Nadir (pictured) has been stood down from his nursing position at Bankstown Hospital
The controversial interview followed criticism of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s inclusion of ‘Islamophobia’ in its statement on the nurses’ conduct.
The union responded with a statement which said it ‘condemns all forms of racism, bigotry and hatred, including acts of antisemitism and Islamophobia’.
However, the Australian Jewish Association described the union’s response as tone-deaf, arguing that adding ‘Islamophobia’ into the statement diluted the issue of anti-Semitism at hand.
‘This woke habit of needing to refer to every kind of discrimination instead of just condemning anti-Semitism needs to stop,’ Australian Jewish Association CEO Robert Gregory said.
‘There is no major issue of ‘Islamophobia’ in Australia’s healthcare system and in fact the nurses who threatened Jewish patients are both Muslim.
‘The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation is attempting to paint Australians as racist and bigoted when they are not.’
He argued the video that sparked the statement was clearly anti-Jewish and organisations that seek to obscure that ‘are part of the problem’.
Mr Kheir’s controversial interview followed criticism of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s inclusion of ‘Islamophobia’ in its statement on the nurses’ conduct
The ANMF, which represents more than 326,000 members, said it ‘stands for peace, love and respect for all and we defend the global human right to healthcare’.
Ms Lebdeh and Mr Nadir have both apologised for the comments who have both been stood down from their roles.
Mr Nadir, 27, covered his face in shame when the media confronted him at his western Sydney home, and insisted the comments were ‘a joke and a misunderstanding’.
‘I will use social media, anything, to apologise but I need to go and see the detectives first,’ he said on Wednesday.
Solicitor Mohamad Sakr said his client is trying to ‘make amends for what has happened’.
‘My client sends a very sincere apology to not only that individual but to the Jewish community as a whole,’ he added.
Meanwhile, Ms Lebdeh’s uncle spoke out on her behalf yesterday, claiming she suffered an ‘extreme panic attack’ after the video went viral.
‘I’m trying to calm her down to see what the f*** happened,’ he said.
‘She’s been a nurse for God knows how long. She’s never done anything to hurt anyone.’
Nadir, 27, covered his head in shame when he was confronted by Seven News on Wednesday
The incident has prompted Bankstown Hospital to delete a photo uploaded to its Instagram page showing a woman in a ‘Free Palestine’ T-shirt, which was included in the hospital newsletter.
It’s understood Mr Nadir and Ms Lebdeh have not yet spoken formally to police but are in contact with officers.
Detectives have also asked Mr Veifer for the full, raw version of the video he recorded showing the nurses making the vile comments, as they assess what charges, if any, can be laid.
An initial examination by NSW Health found no evidence the care of any Israeli patients had been affected, but a more thorough investigation will follow.
