EXCLUSIVE
Footage has emerged of one of the nurses stood down over a vile anti-Semitic rant leading a prayer about martyrdom.
Rashad Nadir, 27, was filmed at a Sydney mosque leading a Noha or Nawha.
The Islamic elegy commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali in the historic Battle of Karbala.
Nadir passionately sang the poem in front of dozens of fellow Muslims in a nearly seven-minute clip posted by his brother to YouTube in June 2020.
The video of Nadir was uploaded exactly two months before the refugee, originally from Afghanistan, was granted n citizenship.
The clip was deleted on Wednesday night, hours after disturbing footage emerged of Nadir and his Bankstown Hospital colleague Sarah Abu Lebdeh, spouting anti-Semitic hatred to Israeli influencer Max Veifer.
‘It’s Palestine’s country, not your country you piece of s***,’ Abu Lebdeh told Mr Veifer.
Both Nadir and Abu Lebdeh claimed they ‘won’t treat Israeli people’. Abu Lebdeh added ‘I’ll kill them’, and Nadir was filmed making a slicing gesture over his throat.
Nadir later insisted his comments were ‘a joke and a misunderstanding’.
He vowed to apologise to the ‘Jewish community and anyone I’ve offended’ as soon as he had spoken to police, who are now investigating the pair.
‘It was a joke, a misunderstanding … I will use social media, anything, to apologise but I need to go and see the detectives first,’ he told the Daily Telegraph.
‘I didn’t mean to offend. It wasn’t meant to be like this.’
He covered his head in shame when Seven News confronted him at his western Sydney home.
It came after more details about Nadir’s background emerged.
Born in Afghanistan, Nadir was just seven when he and is family fled their homeland after his father was killed.
The family crossed into Iran, Malaysia and Indonesia before risking their lives on a boat bound for five years later.
‘After spending four nights and five days, we reached international waters and the n Navy rescued us and took us on board,’ Nadir recalled in an interview three years ago.
‘We were extremely happy that we made it safely.’
After being plucked to safety at sea, the family were taken to Christmas Island and Darwin before eventually settling in Sydney when Nadir was 12.
Nadir was studying to become a nurse when he was granted n citizenship in August 2020.
‘Congrats to me. I’m now officially an n citizen. Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi,’ he captured the photo of his citizenship certificate.
In addition to his role at Bankstown Hospital, Nadir had also worked at Observatory Hill Medical Centre in the Sydney CBD one day per week.
Dr Nirmal Singh Grewal, who founded the general practice 25 years ago, told Daily Mail that Nadir was well liked, but had been fired from the clinic over the anti-Semitic video.
His photo has been removed from the medical centre’s website.
Nadir also participated in the Chester Hill Helmsman Project, a non-profit organisation that offers programs to help disadvantaged youth develop life skills.
The Helmsman Project produced a story on him in 2022, highlighting his career achievements as a nurse and how the program played a role in his development.
‘His journey from Afghanistan to Auburn and the challenges he faced and the support he received from The Helmsman Program along the way has shaped him into the young man he is today.’
Police have since requested the full, uncut version from the Mr Veifer as investigations continue.
Nadir and Abu Lebdeh are both expected to be charged under hate crime laws.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park confirmed that both nurses have been stood down while health authorities and police investigate.
He was made aware of the ‘shocking’ and ‘appalling’ video circulating social media on Wednesday morning and immediately ordered senior health officials to take action.
‘They made me sick to my stomach. I have asked NSW Health to launch an urgent investigation to identify the individuals and they have also referred the matter to NSW Police,’ he said.
‘If the investigation concludes that this behaviour has occurred, these individuals will never be working for NSW Health again.’
Mr Park labelled the pair ‘disgusting and deranged individuals’ whose views were not representative of ‘their colleagues… NSW Health… the hospital system… [and] the community’.