A Bangladeshi radical Islamic preacher, Mizanur Rahman Azhari, who has previously praised Adolf Hitler as a “divine punishment” against Jews, has been deported from Australia midway through his national speaking tour.
The Bangladeshi preacher, with an estimated 10 million online followers, was delivering his ‘Legacy of Faith’ lecture series in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, and Canberra over Easter.
It is now reported that Azhari’s visa was cancelled on Tuesday, and he is now awaiting deportation.
It is further reported that he has previously been barred from the UK and prohibited from preaching publicly in Bangladesh due to allegations of extremist hate speech.
Liberal Senator Jonathan Duniam told the Senate that community groups had warned parliamentarians, including the minister, about Azhari’s arrival.
“I know a number of members of parliament…received communication from groups including the Australian Federation for Ethnic and Religious Minorities in Bangladesh.”
Senator Duniam highlighted Azhari’s international record of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and extremist ideologies.
In a 2023 sermon in the United States, Azhari praised Hitler, dehumanised Jewish people, called them “the biggest terrorists of the world” and a “poisonous blemish,” and claimed they were responsible for global troubles, including AIDS. He reportedly expressed joy in recounting Hitler’s cruelty to Jews.
The senator emphasised that allegations against Azhari extend beyond a single community, noting a “persistent pattern of hate speech” targeting multiple groups, including Hindus and the Bengali culture.
Despite this well-documented history, the Australian government had initially authorised his entry.
Community groups had called for urgent intervention, leading to the cancellation of his visa and the halting of the controversial tour.
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