An Australian mosque has celebrated Hezbollah terrorists killed in attacks on Israel as ‘martyrs’ during special commemoration services.
About 400 worshippers attended the Masjid Arrahman, which is also known as Al Rahman Mosque, in the south west Sydney suburb of Kingsgrove on Saturday, to pay tribute to fallen terrorists Taha Abbas Abbas, Ali Marmar and Hussam Ibrahim.
Hezbollah announced on Wednesday Abbas and Marmar were killed by an IDF drone strike while firing mortar shells into Israel from southern Lebanon, while Ibrahim was killed by Israeli shelling earlier this month.
Al Rahman Mosque’s Imam Sheikh Youssef Nabha called the three men martyrs who were engaging in ‘jihad’ during the 90-minute service, according to an attendee’s translation of the Arabic sermon obtained by The Australian.
Sydney Imam Sheikh Youssef Nabha (pictured) has held a service to commemorate Hezbollah ‘martyrs’
Sheikh Nabha accused Israel of having a plan to ‘eradicate’ Palestinians.
The Jewish state continues to reign down missiles on the territory following a string of terror attacks and rocket strikes by Hamas on October 7 that killed 1400 Israeli citizens.
The Sheikh also criticised US support for Israel and was scathing of the Australian media.
‘The (Daily Telegraph), Sky News – they condemn us and say we should stop, but we’ve done this for many years,’ the Sheikh said.
He accused the media of portraying Muslims as dangerous, but said his congregation was peaceful.
The imam said he had been contacted by authorities before the service but insisted the service would go on peacefully.
Private security was in place for the service and marked police cars patrolled the road surrounding the mosque during the session.
The Sheik made a call for worshippers to aid Gaza civilians, even though there was little that those in Australia can do.
Sheikh Nabha told a packed congregation at Masjid Arrahman in southwest Sydney that Israel had a plan to wipe out Palestinians in the Gaza Strip (stock image)
Hezbollah terrorists Taha Abbas Abbas (left) and Hussam Ibrahim (right) are pictured
Hezbollah terrorist Ali Machmad Marmar (pictured) who was killed by Israeli shelling
A similar service was held at the Arncliffe’s Al Zahra Mosque, also in south west Sydney, for three other Hezbollah ‘martyrs’ killed fighting Israel: Mahdi Muhammad Atwi, Ibrahim Habib Aldebek and Hussain Abbas Fasaee.
Last week Hezbollah announced in a pamphlet calling for the three to be commemorated as ‘Shaheed’ – the Arabic term for ‘martyr’.
Anti-Defamation Commission Chair Dvir Abramovich called the services ‘a stain’ on Australia
‘I feel sick by this stomach-churning celebration of the evil, slaughter and cult death of Hezbollah that will shock the conscience of every Australian,’ he told The Australian.
‘How can anyone, in a house of worship, honour mass murderers and terrorists?
‘At a time of surging anti-Semitism in this country, this ‘commemoration service’ … will be a stain on the community that will never be erased.’
A pamphlet advertising the service for the three Hezbollah terrorists, which was held in south west Sydney
With 20,000 fighters, Hezbollah is one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East, with Iran believed to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to the Islamic extremists each year.
Israel is readying a major ground assault into Gaza following the Hamas raids on October 7 that resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and around 200 hostages being taken by the group, which is also back by Iran.
Since that attack Hezbollah and the Israel Defence Force have been trading fire across Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
Israel has vowed to cut off ‘the head of the snake’ and launch a military attack against Iran if Hezbollah joins the war.
Nir Barkat, Israel’s Minister of Economy, warned on Sunday that Iran’s Ayatollahs will be ‘wiped off the face of the earth’ should Hezbollah, their proxy terror group in Lebanon, attack Israel.