Sheikh Youssef Nabha praises the efforts of the Iraqis on the Liberation of the city of Mosul

His Eminence Sheikh Youssef Nabha delivered the two Friday sermons on 14th July, 2017 (20 Shawaal 1438)  from Masjid Arrahman in Sydney among a mass of believers.

 In the first (religious) sermon, Sheikh Nabha addressed the believers on the issue of spreading falsehood in the community.  Sheikh Nabha said that falsehood is a destructive major sin that will defame ones’ reputation and create hatred and discord among the community.  Sheikh Nabha also referred to several Ayahs from the Holy Quran that refer to falsehood such as “And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned” (17: 36). Sheikh Nabha explained that we ought to verify our facts before we deliver it to people so that we avoid Allah’s punishment of hellfire. Sheikh Nabha further advised believers to fear Allah in people’s affairs and to always speak the truth in order to safeguard the Muslim community. 

In the second (political) sermon, Sheikh Nabha touched upon the recent developments in the Arab region and also on the 11th anniversary of the July war of 2006 in Lebanon. Sheikh Nabha also pointed to a recent report on Islamophobia in Australia that confirms attacks on Muslim women are related theirHijab covering. 

The following is the text from his speech:

The Iraqi army accomplished with the People’s Mobilisation Forces their operation by liberating the city of Mosul from Daesh (ISIS) and now they have to complete their mission to clean every inch of Iraq from those terrorists who went to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon with regional and international support in order to fragment the Middle East and to exhaust the axis of Resistance through besieging it and hence to ensure the security of Israel.

We congratulate the Iraqis on the liberation of their territories from Daesh and we ask Allah, the Glorified, the Exalted, to grant the martyrs His countless mercy and to unite them with Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) and his infallibles in the Hereafter and those are the best companions.

In this context, we greet the heroism of the Iraqi, Syrian, and Lebanese armies, and also the heroism of the Lebanese resistance, who all are seriously working to defeat the terrorists and to eliminate them from Syria and Lebanon because the terrorists represent a threat and a danger which is not less than the Israeli threat and danger. Notably, Lebanon witnesses in these days the eleventh anniversary of the July War of 2006 when Israel attacked Lebanon and its infrastructure, such as the roads, the bridges and the power stations, etc. These attacks were supported by the United States of America and some Arab countries to eradicate the Resistance, and hence to smash it, as the then US Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffery Feltman expressed. However, these conspiracies failed and Lebanon achieved the victory through its army and resistance. The destroyed buildings in the southern district of Beirut and the entire destroyed infrastructure have been rebuilt better than it was before because our people believe in life and its culture, and also believe in death and its culture, and thus they are aware of the significance of huge sacrifices which should be presented to achieve dignity in this life.

In Australia, an academic report released recently confirmed that Muslim women were attacked by non-Muslims because they were wearing hijab, especially after the global attacks, including Sydney café. The study pointed to the role of the media in inciting the public opinion.

We reaffirm that Muslims are the sons of Australia, the homeland that they choose to live in, and it is not allowed to anyone to view them negatively, especially viewing their religious symbols, including the hijab, which is considered a duty that the Muslim woman adheres to, and she will not relinquish it because it represents its identity and dignity. Thus, all Australians should respect the Muslim woman’s decision, choice, will and freedom, and deal with her in a humane way without any sort of fanaticism, discrimination and hostility.