The head of Australia’s main Jewish leadership body is urging the government to remove a section from a new law which permits hate speech providing it comes directly from religious texts.
The new Combating Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill, which is set to be passed in days, makes it a federal offence to publicly promote or incite racial hatred where the conduct would cause a reasonable person to feel intimidated, harassed or fear violence.
The new bill, however, includes a defence of hate speech if it comes directly from a religious book.
Peter Wertheim, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said in a parliamentary inquiry that the defence was "totally misconceived and outdated", according to ABC.
Wertheim said that "religion is used as a cloak" when it comes to hate speech.
"That's not what religions teach," he said. "In fact, it's the exact opposite of what religions teach.
"Just get rid of it. We would say that provision just does not belong there."
Australian National Imams Council president Shadi Alsuleiman, who agrees with the law, said: "Faith leaders and faith communities have the complete right to quote any verse or any text from their scripture and interpret that to their understanding."
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, told ABC: "I encourage you to read the Old Testament and see what's there and see if you outlaw that, what would occur.
"So, we need to be careful - we consulted with faith groups, not just with the Jewish community.
"We want to make sure there's the broadest possible support for this legislation but we also want to make sure that there isn't unintended consequences of the legislation."
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.