Three Muslim men who were pushed and grabbed by police while praying at a Sydney protest say they were assaulted at one of the most vulnerable moments of Islamic prayer, rejecting claims by NSW Premier Chris Minns that the incident requires further "context".
Footage circulated online on Monday night showed police moving into a group of Muslim protesters who had paused to pray outside Sydney Town Hall during a rally opposing the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
It comes as NSW Police commissioner Mal Lanyon said he had apologised to some senior Muslim community leaders following the incident, while maintaining that footage of the confrontation needed to be viewed with "context".
Australia's special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, has called for the NSW premier to apologise to the Muslim community.
SBS News understands some groups responded to Lanyon, saying that only a broad public apology from police would be acceptable.
More than 100 Muslim organisations, including the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Lebanese Muslim Association and the Islamophobia Register Australia condemned the incident in a joint statement, describing it as "completely unacceptable".
The joint letter called for a "full and public apology from the Premier, the Minister for Police and police leadership for the disruption of peaceful Muslim prayer and use of force against worshippers."
The Grand Mufti of Australia, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed, has called for a transparent investigation, describing the events as an "ethical scandal".
"We are calling for a transparent investigation to prevent any violations," Mohammed told SBS Arabic.
"No one is above the law, and everyone is equal before it.
"The police are our police, and the young people are our own. We do not want confrontation between them. To achieve this, the boundaries of lawful conduct must be clear."
'Came in like a wrecking ball'
Thousands gathered at Sydney Town Hall on Monday night to protest Israeli president Isaac Herzog's arrival, despite a court decision that upheld the police powers to restrict protests, and 27 people were arrested.
Footage circulated on social media, and shared by Greens senator David Shoebridge, showed Muslim men kneeling in prayer during the demonstration outside Sydney's Town Hall.
One of the men captured on video being thrown to the ground was Shahbaz Jamal, who said the group had deliberately positioned themselves away from police and foot traffic before beginning prayer.
Jamal said they chose to "strategically pray far away from where the police were", adding that a group of fellow protesters had formed a protective perimeter around them.
"During the prayer itself, there was a perimeter of people protecting us — so we had human shields, if you want to call them that," Jamal told SBS News.
"They were communicating to the police quite clearly that we were in prayer and the police didn't care."
Jamal said he was thrown by police as he was rising from prostration — the moment in prayer where worshippers kneel and place their heads on the ground.
"It is probably the most vulnerable position we are doing in the prayer … it was quite shocking, but I wasn't surprised," he said.
"I didn't expect it to happen here in Sydney."
He later sought medical attention, with a GP finding "massive" bruising under his right arm. Jamal said his knees will need to be X-rayed and his back examined by ultrasound to check for potential kidney damage.
"They came in like a wrecking ball. They bulldozed the back of the prayer, which had females praying … Then they decided to select us one at at time and throw us like we're nothing, like we're pieces of rubbish."
'Absolutely traumatising'
Azhar Bhuiyan was praying beside Jamal and said the incident was "absolutely traumatising", for him being only 18 years old.
"We were sitting down, we were in prayer — it's one of the five prayers we pray in one day — sitting there and being absolutely heckled, our t-shirts being grabbed, us being kicked in the back," Bhuiyan told SBS News.
"It was absolutely traumatising and something I've never experienced," he said.
"It's something that no individual or a child or teenager should ever face.
"Police are expected to help us and protect us in all situations."
NSW Police commissioner issues private apologies to Muslim leaders
NSW Police commissioner, Mal Lanyon said he had apologised to Muslim community leaders "for any offence that may have been taken" following the incident.
When asked whether police had acted appropriately, Lanyon said officers were moving forward in a line to disperse the crowd after earlier unrest.
"Again, it needs to be taken in context, and if you see what's happening behind, the police are coming forward long after the conflict has started. They are moving forward in a line and dispersing the crowd," Lanyon told 2GB on Wednesday morning.
"I've made contact with senior members of the Muslim community and to apologise for any offence that may have been taken for those that were in a religious prayer."
SBS News contacted NSW Police to clarify which members of the community Lanyon spoke with, but was told they could not provide specific details.
"But the actions of the police were required to actually start dispersing the crowd, we were moving forward because of the actions of protesters," Lanyon added.
That sentiment echoes earlier comments by Minns, who said "context is important" and defended police actions, saying officers were put in an "incredibly difficult" situation.
Minns said the police response "wasn't designed to pick on or target a particular community" and was not representative of the "strong and co-operative" relationship police have had with Sydney's Islamic community.
'You never ever break a prayer'
The prayer was being led by Imam Wesam Charkawi, who said police actions showed a fundamental lack of understanding — or disregard — for the significance of prayer.
"It was a three or four minute prayer, and with our backs turned, indicated that we were engaged in a prayer," Charkawi told SBS News.
"For those who don't understand the significance of prayer, effectively, you never ever break a prayer for any reason, unless there's a really desperate situation," he said.
"Under no circumstances can one break their prayer just for any reason."
Charkawi said the group had chosen a secluded location that was "nearly all clear" and not obstructing others.
"Nobody had resisted a police directive," he said.
"Nobody had blocked any traffic. We certainly weren't in the way of people passing through."
He described seeing one man "going flying" while he was still praying, and said women at the back of the group were the first to be pushed.
"It's so offensive and insulting that the police would literally and physically manhandle people, starting with the women at the back," he said, adding some were still complaining of knee injuries the following day.
Charkawi rejected the premier's call for "context".
"It's just really dishonest to hear Minns say that there was some kind of context. Context to what?" he said.
Calls for formal investigation and accountability grow
It comes as Human Rights Watch (HRW) found "excessive force" was used by NSW Police against protesters, including those kneeling in prayer.
"The New South Wales government should investigate the alleged police use of excessive force and appropriately discipline or prosecute those responsible," HRW wrote in a statement Tuesday evening.
Malik said the incident would "irreparably damage relations" without full accountability or a formal investigation.
"There was absolutely nothing on the face of the earth that could warrant police to break up people who are praying in a quiet, non-threatening, peaceful manner, and to punch and to grab and to throw individuals onto the concrete," Malik told SBS News.
"The police have to acknowledge that what happened was unprovoked, unnecessary and disproportionate, and if they do not come out with that recognition, it will irreparably damage relations between Muslims and the NSW Police."
For the men who were praying on Monday evening, a private apology is not enough.
"Somebody has to lose their job for what happened and somebody has to be held accountable," Charkawi said.
"We will not let this go."
This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Arabic.
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