Australian National Party Senator Matt Canavan on Tuesday demanded stricter immigration requirements for his country after several mosques held memorials and prayer sessions mourning the death of Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
As Breitbart News reported, a group of mosques and Islamic institutions in Sydney and Melbourne held events and prayer sessions commemorating the “martyrdom” of Khamenei and paying tribute to the late “Supreme Leader.”
Khamenei died during “Operation Epic Fury,” a military campaign against the Iranian regime alongside the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). President Donald Trump confirmed Khamenei’s death personally on Saturday.
The events commemorating the “martyrdom” of Khamenei, announced through now-deleted social media posts, prompted widespread outrage among Australian politicians, members of the Iranian diaspora, and members of the Australian Jewish community. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns reportedly condemned the acts as “atrocious.”
Speaking to Sky News on Wednesday, Queensland Sen. Canavan of the National Party of Australia said that no one should be mourning Khamenei’s death, “particularly not official religious institutions.”
“You’re always going to get a few fools in any group who might do something stupid like this,” Canavan said.
“But if this is officially sanctioned by these mosques, which it appears to be, it’s of great concern,” he continued.
The Senator asserted that the tributes to Khamenei raised broader questions about immigration in Australia — and called for stricter character requirements in the country.
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan said no one should be mourning Khamenei’s death, “particularly not official religious institutions.” (Sam Mooy/Getty)
“It goes back to why we have run a migration system that has allowed people into this country that clearly do not share our values and principles,” he said.
“That should change. We must have a much more stringent character test on who we let into this country and who we allow to become an Australian,” he continued.
The Masjid Arrahman Mosque in Kingsgrove is one of the mosques that publicly called to commemorate the “martyrdom” of Khamenei through a three-night prayer session. Sky News reported that the mosque described Khamenei as a “pure soul” and called upon worshippers to recognize “the souls of the martyrs who rose during the American-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The mosque reportedly deleted the corresponding social media posts.
“Systems that we have in place in terms of granting permanent residency and visas and the like are well understood and they are very clear,” Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told Sky News when asked if expressions of support for foreign leaders accused of serious abuses should be considered when assessing Australian residency permits.
“We think it is very misplaced to be mourning the former Supreme Leader of Iran,” he continued. “The people we are mourning as a government are the thousands of brave Iranians who have lost their lives at the hands of the Supreme Leader.”
“I dare say authorities are investigating now. The celebration of the life of a person who has done, as has been described ad nauseam in the media, as with the ayatollah, we should not be celebrating that person’s life. Their removal from this planet is a good thing,” Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonathon Duniam told Sky News.
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