Football stars Payne Haas and Murray Taulagi hit out at shocking speculation about Bondi Junction murderer Joel Cauchi
Australian NRL representatives Payne Haas and Murray Taulagi have slammed false allegations that the Bondi Junction Westfield killer was a Muslim terrorist.
Police have confirmed that 40-year-old man Joel Cauchi was behind the horrific attacks which left six people dead before he was shot dead by police inspector Amy Scott.
Cauchi’s Facebook profile shows no connection to the Islamic faith and his parents are very religious and celebrated Christmas with him last year.
Brisbane Broncos, NSW Blues and Australian Kangaroos prop Payne Haas converted to Islam in 2017 and spoke out against claims the Bondi Junction Westfield killer was Muslim.
Pictured: The statement attacking the media for assuming the killings were the act of a Muslim terrorist, shared by Haas and Murray Taulagi (right)
Pictured: A mourner lays flowers as they pay their respects to the victims of the horrific Bondi Junction attack on Saturday.
This led humanitarian lawyer Tom Zreika to share a statement on social media calling on the media to be more responsible when reporting horrific acts of violence like the Bondi stabbing attacks.
His statement rejecting the suggestion that the killer was Muslim was shared by North Queensland Cowboys winger Taulagi and devout Muslim Payne Haas.
“Westfield Bondi Junction attack: Killer named Joel Cauchi, Queensland man,” Zreika posted on Instagram.
“The mainstream media jumped the gun and reported that he was a ‘pro-Palestinian Muslim terrorist.’
“Now he is reported to be a mentally ill drug addict.”
Zreika then added: “Live up to your responsibility and get the facts right before reporting. »
Haas became Muslim in early 2019 and wants to follow in the footsteps of dual international Sonny Bill Williams to become a leader in the Islamic community.
“There will come a time when I’m going to align myself with that and I want to be a leader for Islam and for Muslims,” Haas said at the time.
“I hope I can do it one day, inshallah, God willing and I can be at the forefront of it, like Sonny is right now.”
Zreika is co-founder and chairman of AusRelief, known for his dedication as a passionate advocate for community, social and refugee justice, in addition to his humanitarian efforts.
He is also a lawyer and managing partner at Sterling Legal, and provided his expertise as an advisor to Cumberland Council, one of Australia’s largest local councils, until December 2021.
His post came after some social media commenters speculated the Bondi stabbings were a terrorist attack and blamed the deaths on a Muslim extremist before the killer was officially revealed to be Cauchi.
These assumptions spread around the world, with British Talk TV presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer saying on national television: “Another day. Another terrorist attack carried out by another Islamist terrorist.
Activists have also attempted to link the Westfield Junction horror to pro-Palestinian anti-Semitism.
