Australian Muslim preacher calls to take up arms against enemies including Jews, Christians

A Melbourne Muslim preacher, Abu Ahmad, urged followers to take up arms against Jews and Christians during a July sermon at the Al Bayyinah Islamic Centre. The call has drawn national attention due to the center's ties to Sydney networks linked to the Bondi Beach mass shooter. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and Australian Jewish Association President Robert Gregory condemned the rhetoric and called for stronger federal powers against extremist preaching.

A Muslim preacher from Melbourne, known as Abu Ahmad and associated with the Al Bayyinah Islamic Centre in Springvale, urged his followers to take up arms against Christians and Jews during a July 2026 sermon. The clip, posted to the center's social media feed, instructed adherents not to take Jews and Christians for friends and declared an obligation to oppose and fight enemies. The sermon has drawn national attention due to documented ties linking the Melbourne institution to controversial Sydney networks, including preacher Wissam Haddad, who was previously linked to the Al Madina Dawah Center in Bankstown—a prayer hall attended by alleged Bondi gunman Naveed Akram. One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson issued a media release on Monday criticizing federal authorities and calling for immediate, targeted federal powers to confront fundamentalist Islamic extremism. Robert Gregory, President of the Australian Jewish Association, told The Jerusalem Post that the episode demonstrates deep-seated failures in national security and social cohesion. Australian security expert Daniel Lewkovitz told the Post that the developments reflect decades of political inaction, pointing to a pattern of unaddressed extremist indicators over the past decade.