Sydney's Al Madina Dawah Centre, a prayer hall linked to radical preacher Wissam Haddad, has permanently shut down. The centre's closure comes after a council investigation found that the premises were only approved to operate as a medical centre, and the owners had never sought authorisation to run it as a prayer hall. The investigation also revealed a strong suspicion that the centre was being used contrary to its intended purpose. Al Madina Dawah Centre faced criticism for its association with Haddad, who was previously linked to the Bondi terrorist Naveed Akram and found guilty of breaching the Racial Discrimination Act for antisemitic lectures. Haddad denied any prior knowledge of the attack and insisted he held no management or decision-making authority at the centre, only attending as an occasional guest speaker. However, this is not the first time Haddad's influence has led to a venue closure. In 2023, he was ordered to shut down unauthorised prayer meetings at a venue on Eldon Street in Georges Hall, which was only approved to operate as a gym. NSW Premier Chris Minns welcomed the permanent closure as evidence that new measures to crack down on illegal hate preaching venues will be effective. He emphasised the difficulty in identifying and closing down such venues, but expressed concern that current rules and laws may not be sufficient to confront hate speech in communities. The Al Madina Dawah Centre's closure highlights the ongoing efforts to address the issue of hate preaching and the challenges in regulating public places of worship.
