Controversy erupts in Young over New Madinah College principal's anti-Semitic remarks

Member for Riverina Michael McCormack has strongly criticised the newly-appointed principal of New Madinah College in Young, Sheik Abdulghani Albaf, for his inflammatory anti-Semitic comments.

The controversy arose after Albaf posted on social media, calling for Zionists to “burn in the lowest pits of hellfire”, among myriad other comparable posts, sparking outrage among community leaders and political figures.

First to step in was Hilltops Mayor Brian Ingram who on Monday publicly described Albaf’s comments as “highly inappropriate” and “divisive”, for a person in a leadership position.

Jewish leaders also echoed the mayor’s concerns, saying the principal, who had a responsibility to act as a role model, was glorifying terrorism and extremism.

They were joined by Deputy Premier and NSW Education Minister Prue Car in calling on the NSW Education Standard Authority (NESA) to examine the concerns raised.

Ms Car said she had asked NESA to report back to her.

Mr McCormack said he had discussed the matter with Hilltops Mayor Brian Ingram and the Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, both of whom shared his concerns over the potential impact of Albaf’s rhetoric on community cohesion.

“Young does not need a sheik coming to town and making these sorts of anti-Zionist, anti-Semitic comments he has been making in mosques, in social media and in society,” Mr MCormack said.

“What we need is for people to lower the temperature and get along. What we don’t need is a sheik, a very controversial one at that, influencing our children with divisive and extremist ideas,” he added.

He has urged the leadership of the mosque in Young to clarify their stance on Albaf’s remarks and take immediate action if there are any further incidents.

Mr McCormack also said if the sheik “stepped one toenail out of line again”, his appointment should not stand.

“What we need now and going forward is harmony, unity and social cohesion and we should all work towards achieving that,” he said.

“We don’t need these sorts of people coming into our communities and upsetting everybody – in this case a sheik from Sydney. It potentially leads to a level of raised violence, discrimination and tension and we don’t need that in our communities.

“It is beyond bizarre; this is not Australian; it certainly is not regional Australia,” Mr McCormack said.

The backlash against Albaf’s comments continued with federal Shadow Minister for Education Sarah Henderson calling on her parliamentary counterpart Jason Clare to intervene.

Speaking on Sky News Monday night (13 January), Henderson described Albaf’s behavior as, “a shocking example of hate and incitement in a school” and demanded his immediate removal pending an investigation.

“School leaders must uphold the highest standards of integrity and respect for others,” Ms Henderson said. “This is shocking anti-Jewish hate, and as far as I’m concerned, he has to go”.

New Madinah College, is a K-10 educational institution emphasising Islamic principles while integrating modern teaching practices. It offers a curriculum aligned with NSW standards, covering subjects such as English, mathematics, and science, along with Islamic studies, the Qur’an, and Arabic language education.

The school promotes character development, respect and a supportive community, aiming to foster Islamic values and academic excellence among its students.

Original Article published by Edwina Mason on About Regional.