Australian PM slammed over ouster of Muslim minister amid Gaza row

Bilal Rauf, adviser to Australian National Imams Council, demands explanation from Albanese

MELBOURNE, Australia (MNTV) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing calls to explain the ouster of former former industry and science minister Ed Husic, who says his criticism of Israel’s war on Gaza contributed to his removal, according to Australian media outlets. 

Albanese, who named his cabinet on Monday, did not directly answer when asked whether he had fought for Husic.

“What I’ve done is to allocate portfolios. That’s the system that’s there. It’s one that Ed and others have supported for a long period of time,” Albanese told reporters.  

While Labor party prime ministers allocate the ministerial portfolios, the party’s factional leaders pick the 30 lawmakers who will get them based on the proportion of seats each faction won. 

The factional leaders dropped former industry and science minister Husic, who was born in Sydney to Bosnian Muslim immigrants.

Bilal Rauf, an adviser to the Australian National Imams Council, has demanded an explanation from Albanese, saying: “I think at a minimum, some explanation is warranted. We can’t just leave it at explanations about factionalism.”

Rauf acknowledged that factionalism may have played a role in Husic’s demotion but emphasized that it was unlikely to be the sole reason. “If Ed says that’s a factor, I have no reason to discount that,” Rauf said.

“It’s hard to deny that it likely is a factor.”

Husic had been a vocal critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza. He told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that his demotion was, in part, punishment for his views.

“I think it’s been a factor in there. Would I do things differently? I don’t think so,” Husic said.

“You can’t celebrate diversity and then expect it to sit in a corner and be silent. You need to speak up… for the communities that you care about,” Husic added. 

The controversy has sparked concerns about the representation of Muslim voices in Australian politics.

Husic’s demotion has been seen as a setback for Muslim representation in the government, despite the promotion of Egypt-born Anne Aly to Cabinet.

Aly, the minister for small business, international development, and multicultural affairs, is now the government’s most senior Muslim.

However, her promotion has not alleviated concerns about the treatment of Muslim politicians who speak out on issues like Gaza.