A group of Muslim organisations led by the Alliance Against Islamophobia have called for urgent action to address systemic Islamophobia and discrimination within the South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD), following a series of disturbing incidents involving Muslim healthcare workers and patients.
In a formal complaint to SWSLHD CEO Sonia Marshall, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park, and NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley, community leaders raised concerns over the religious vilification of Muslims by Dr Tanveer Ahmed and the unfair treatment of two Muslim nurses.
Dr Ahmed, a psychiatrist at Bankstown Hospital, recently published an article titled ” Facing up to Harsh Realities of Muslim Anti-Semitism” that vilified the entire Muslim community, alleging that anti-Semitism is “a thoroughly Muslim problem” and falsely linking Islam to terrorism.
His comments, described as deeply offensive and inflammatory, have raised serious concerns about his ability to provide non-discriminatory care to Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian patients in South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD).
At the same time, two Muslim nurses were denied their right to due process, confidentiality, and mandated procedural fairness under NSW Health Misconduct Policy PD2018_031 after making concerning comments to a social media influencer they mistakenly believed to be an IDF soldier.
In stark contrast to Dr Ahmed, who has faced no repercussions for his Islamophobic remarks, the nurses were promptly targeted by politicians, publicly vilified, subjected to a media trial, and permanently banned from practising their profession, without an investigation into the matter by the NSW Health.
This campaign has the support of several Muslim organisations that are committed to fighting discrimination and ensuring justice for Muslim healthcare workers and patients within SWSLHD in particular and all over Australia in general.
Community leaders are calling for:
- An investigation into Dr Ahmed’s comments and a referral to AHPRA for possible breaches of professional conduct.
- A review of the handling of the two Muslim nurses’ case and the failure to provide them with procedural fairness.
- Concrete measures to address institutional Islamophobia within NSW Health.
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