Australian Sheikh Linked to Flydubai Pilot's Radicalization
Translated & summarized from Vesty by baba
An Australian Islamic center leader, Samir Mokhtadi, also known as Abu-Hamza, is linked to the radicalization of the Flydubai co-pilot. The pilot confessed to attending Mokhtadi's center in Melbourne between 2015 and 2017, where his radical views reportedly began. Mokhtadi has made numerous anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic statements, calling Zionists "bloodsuckers" and praying for their demise. Despite this, his organization, IISNA, remains a registered charity and has received government funding.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Australian Islamic center leader Samir Mokhtadi, known as Abu-Hamza, linked to Flydubai pilot's radicalization.
- Pilot Hamam al-Hamami confessed radicalization began at Mokhtadi's My Centre in Melbourne, 2015-2017.
- Mokhtadi called Zionists "scavengers" and "bloodsuckers" in sermons and social media posts.
- Mokhtadi prayed for "victory for mujahideen in Palestine" and for Zionists' destruction.
- IISNA, Mokhtadi's organization, remains a registered charity and has received Australian government support.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously attributed the pilot's actions to Islamist brainwashing.
An Australian Islamic center leader, Samir Mokhtadi, known as Abu-Hamza, is linked to the radicalization of the Oman-born co-pilot who attempted an attack on a Flydubai flight on September 30. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had stated the co-pilot was brainwashed by Islamists. However, UAE Attorney General statements on October 9 revealed the pilot's radicalization began nearly a decade ago in Australia, not during trips to Syria.
The pilot, Hamam al-Hamami, confessed that while studying in Melbourne between 2015 and 2017, he frequented a mosque associated with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). There, he met individuals connected to the My Centre Islamic center, led by Mokhtadi. Mokhtadi, whose family is Lebanese but who grew up in Australia, has made public statements and delivered sermons that shed light on the extremist environment influencing the pilot.
Mokhtadi has referred to Zionists as "scavengers" and "bloodsuckers" and claimed Australia was waging war against Islam. He also planned a large Islamic complex called "Refuge" through his charity. During a sermon at the Melbourne center, attended by a journalist from The Australian, Mokhtadi prayed for victory for "mujahideen in Palestine" and asked Allah to "make the earth tremble under the feet of the Zionists."
He also told followers they were not obligated to adopt the values of their host country, stating the "war here is more dangerous than the war in Gaza" and that the aim was to erode faith in God. Mokhtadi defended his right to express anti-Zionist views, calling Zionists "subhuman" and "bloodthirsty" in a Facebook post by the organization IISNA (Islamic Information Service Network Australasia). He stated, "We do not recognize the existence of a state called Israel" and wished for "all of them to return to Russia, Ukraine, America and Great Britain, and Palestine to be cleansed of these dirty Zionist terrorists."
Despite these inflammatory remarks, IISNA remains a registered charity and has previously received Australian government support for public events and educational initiatives.
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