EXCLUSIVE Matthew Benns
The Daily Telegraph
February 17 2016
A RADICAL Islamic speaker from the UK who condoned child rape on a previous visit to Australia is returning to spout more of his foul bile at a Muslim youth and community conference at Sydney Olympic Park.
Hamza Tzortzis, who has said publicly that anyone who fights against Muslims should be beheaded, is one of 12 international and local speakers — all of them men — booked for the ominously named United Muslims of Australia Quest for Success conference.
The event will be held in May in Homebush, which falls into the electorate of federal MP Craig Laundy, who will be sworn in as Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs tomorrow.
When The Daily Telegraph called Mr Laundy yesterday to inform him of the conference line-up, he said: “Hate speech has no place in our society and I utterly condemn in the strongest terms the views of anyone preaching hate and intolerance.”
Other speakers include a Hamas-supporting British preacher called Sheikh Zahir Mahmood and a Canadian called Sheikh Alaa Elsayed, who believes having two wives is good because, he says, they will fight for your attention.
Among the Australian speakers are Zachariah Matthews, who has called for elements of sharia law to be introduced into Australia’s legal system, and Sheikh Abu Hamza, who has argued that it is OK to hit your wife — just not too hard.
Also on the list of Aussie speakers is Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman, whose Sydney organisation hosted a speech by an al-Qaeda recruiter who was later killed in a drone attack in Yemen.
Ironically, Mr Tzortzis, who is known for his strong moral views, appeared on hacked data from the Ashley Madison dating website, although he has said repeatedly he was hacked.
John Perkins, the president of the Secular Party, debated Mr Tzortzis when he was in Australia in 2013.
“I put it to him that the Koran condones child marriage, (and) he defended it.
“He was defending child rape. I was absolutely appalled,” Mr Perkins said.
Despite Mr Tzortzis’s offensive views, Mr Perkins believes the conference should be permitted.
“It is better that views are exposed to the public because their own words condemn them more than any attack ever could,” he said.
The event has also angered women because of the lack of female speakers. Activist Eva Cox said: “It is impossible to imagine a conference about success that excludes women.”
A spokesman from the Department of Immigration said Mr Tzortzis had not yet applied for a visa.
“There are strong provisions under the Migration Act to refuse or cancel a visa if a person is found not to be of good character,” he said.
United Muslims of Australia did not provide a comment.
This is what a Muslim conference wants to teach Aussie kids.
