Outrage at Australian Mosques Mourning Death of Ayatollah Khamenei

A series of memorials and prayer sessions organized by mosques and Islamic institutions in Sydney and Melbourne mourning the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prompted outrage among politicians and the Iranian community in Australia, local outlets reported.

Sky News detailed that the Masjid Arrahman Mosque in Kingsgrove, the Husaineyat Sayeda Zaynab Mosque in Banksia, and the Flagbearer Foundation, a Shia Muslim community center in Arncliffe were among the institutions that posted tributes to Khamenei on their social media accounts.

The Masjid Arrahman Mosque calling upon three nights of commemoration on the “martyrdom” of the late Iranian Supreme Leader, who died over the weekend during the joint U.S.-Israel strikes against high-profile Iranian regime targets.

ABC News reports that a livestream of Sunday night’s service at the Flagbearer Foundation showed Sheikh Mohsen Nassar Al-Aemeli “offering condolences on the ‘martyrdom’ of the supreme leader.” The Zahra Center, a Muslim community center in Melbourne, also reportedly expressed its “condolences” for the “martyrdom” of Khamenei.

“We send our condolences to the Imam of Our Time, our Grand Scholars and all the believers on the news of the Martyrdom of Grand Ayatollah Sayed Ali Al Hosseini Al Khamenei and the martyrs at the school,” the Flagbearer Foundation reportedly wrote in a now-deleted social media post.

Sky News explained that New South Wales Premier Chris Minns condemned the acts exalting Khamenei and celebrating his “martyrdom” as “atrocious.”

“By an objective measure, the Ayatollah was evil, and I don’t think that we should be mincing words about this. The truth of the matter is, weeks ago, he and his regime were responsible for killing 30,000 protesters … for simply demonstrating against the regime and their brutal practice,” Minns said.

“This is a regime that murders young boys on the suspicion of being gay. I think we can call the mourning of this tyrant atrocious,” he continued.
Similarly, members of the Iranian diaspora in Australia expressed their outrage and condemnation of the events.

“When you look at it from the outside, these are people that are sympathetic to the late supreme leader of Iran. That means they have some ideas and ways of looking that is the same as him,” Ali Hosseini, spokesman of the Iranian Australian Council reportedly told The Australian.

“Isn’t it dangerous for Australia and the nation? Some people are thinking the same way and are now mourning someone who was dangerous to the world,” he continued. “Knowing some people are in the same boat as him is scary to me, my family, the diaspora – it should be scary to all Australians.”

“Arvin,” an Australian Iranian activist that did not disclose her surname out of fear for her family in Iran, told ABC that she was alarmed to see the public displays of sympathy for the Iranian regime, and stressed, “it’s like mourning for Hitler.”

“Who can support someone who has committed the biggest crimes and is responsible for the deaths of thousands and thousands of people?” She asked.

In a social media post, Alex Ryvchin, Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry called upon criminal investigations agains tht moques honoring Khamenei.

“The fact that Khamenei’s forces coordinated at least two terrorist attacks in Australia makes this public adulation for him all the more concerning,” he wrote. “We cannot allow terrorists to be glorified in our country or for such actions to occur without consequence.”