(ABC-Australia) One of Australia’s most progressive Muslim leaders is taking legal action in Lebanon to clear his name after being labelled a “collaborator” with Israel.
The allegation was initially made by a newspaper aligned with Shia militant group Hezbollah.
Sydney GP Dr Jamal Rifi said he was the victim of a smear campaign orchestrated by Hezbollah and its supporters.
“Now they’ve twisted all these facts and they labelled me a Zionist, working with the enemy, and a collaborator, shame on them,” he said.
Dr Rifi is a prominent member of Australia’s Sunni community. He can no longer visit Lebanon out of fear he will be arrested for visiting Israel, which is illegal for Lebanese citizens.
