Azhari faces deportation from Australia

Bangladeshi Islamic preacher Mizanur Rahman Azhari is set to be deported from Australia for making ‘extremist and antisemitic’ remarks after authorities cancelled his visa midway through a national speaking tour.

Azhari, who has a large online following and regularly delivers lectures across Asia, the Middle East and diaspora communities in the West, had been touring Australia over the Easter period as part of his “Legacy of Faith” series.

His tour included scheduled events in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra. However, his visa was cancelled on Tuesday, and he is now awaiting deportation, according to reports first published by The Daily Mail.

Azhari has previously faced restrictions in multiple countries. He was barred from entering the United Kingdom in 2021 and has also been prohibited from delivering public sermons in Bangladesh over allegations of promoting extremist rhetoric.

Concerns over his visit were raised by Australian lawmakers and community groups. 

Senator Jonathan Duniam said several members of parliament had been alerted to Azhari’s arrival by organisations, including the Australian Federation for Ethnic and Religious Minorities in Bangladesh.

Speaking in the Senate, Duniam described Azhari as having a “well-documented” history of inflammatory speech, citing past sermons in which he allegedly spread antisemitic conspiracy theories and made derogatory remarks about religious groups.

In one such sermon delivered in the United States in 2023, Azhari was accused of praising Adolf Hitler and promoting conspiracy theories targeting Jewish communities. He also allegedly made offensive claims linking Jewish people to global crises and diseases.

Duniam criticised the government for allowing Azhari to enter the country despite these allegations, arguing that his presence risked inflaming religious tensions.