Sada-e-Watan Sydney ™
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Sheikh Mansour Leghaei with his wife Marzieh, son Ali and daughter Fatima

Uncertain future: Leghaei family outside the Imam Husain Islamic Centre.

 

DR SHEIKH MANSOUR LEGHAEI MAY BE DEPORTED SOON!

A renowned Iranian Sheikh Dr Mansour Leghaei has been living in Australia for 16 years. His application for the permanent residence in Australia was rejected by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship because the ASIO had handed two adverse security assessments in 2002 and then 2004. According to the reports, the Sheikh has been a threat to the Australian National Security. It has immensely annoyed the wider Australian community because the reports have neither been shown to the Sheikh nor to his Legal Team. The MRT which confirmed the decision of the Immigration Department on the 19th of February 2010, has confessed in Para 46 of its decision that it does not have the power to examine the validity of the ASIO assessments.

The MRT has given the Sheikh one month time to lodge an appeal to the Minister of Immigration and Citizenship to use his discretional power to overturn the decision of the Immigration Department. The submission of the Sheikh was sent to the Minister with 1200 letters from individuals across the society with thousands of signatures in the shape of a joint petition. If the Minister rejects the appeal, the Sheikh, his wife and son Ali would be deported. The Australian citizens, the media, Coalition of the Christians and the Aboriginal Pastoral Ray raise the voice that Sheikh has been a interfaith peace maker and builder of bridge among many communities and had never did anything anti social during last 16 years.

Sheikh Mansour who had set up and effectively running Imam Hussain Islamic Centre in Sydney, is married with three sons and one daughter. His two sons married in Australia and his only daughter born hear are already Australian citizens while rest of the three family members have been refused permanent residence.

In order to understand and appreciate this case in more detail, visit the website www.savethesheikh.com set up by a Christian Priest Father David Smith of the Holy Trinity Church in Dullwich Hill, Sydney.