Muslim comments bring angry response
Nile gets death threats
The Border News
March 14, 2007
NSW Christian Democratic Party leader Reverend Fred Nile says he has received death threats over his call for a moratorium on Islamic immigration to Australia.
Mr Nile, who is recontesting his upper house seat at the March 24 state election, on Saturday called for a 10-year ban on Islamic immigration.
He wants the Immigration Department to give preference to persecuted Christians while studies on the impact of Islamic immigration are carried out during the moratorium.
Mr Nile has previously called for a ban on the wearing of full-face scarves in NSW.
Yesterday, he said he and another Christian Democratic Party candidate had received death threats in recent days.
On Friday, a man had telephoned Allan Lotfizadeh, the candidate for the western Sydney electorate of Auburn, and said: You Christian pig. You are dead, Mr Nile said.
On Monday, Mr Nile said, a man approached an election worker at Granville and asked her where he (Mr Nile) lived, and what he had against Muslims.
She had then said: Tell Fred Nile I am going to act out my faith on him.
Mr Nile said he believed the threats were linked to his statements on Islamic immigration and full-face scarves.
I think, if theyre talking about the Muslim issue its related to the Muslim issue, he said.
Mr Nile said the threats, which have been reported to police, highlighted the need for the immigration moratorium.
The reason why I called for the moratorium is because of whats happening in France and Holland where the Muslim minority are becoming militant, he said.
A split appeared to emerge in the party over the immigration issue yesterday, with Mr Niles fellow upper house MP Gordon Moyes indicating he had reservations about the policy.
In the Christian Democratic Party we are instructed to vote on issues according to our conscience and therefore we can have different points of view on some issues, Dr Moyes said.
I have some differences with Fred on this matter but Fred is the one standing for election so Im not getting into that debate.
Upper House MPs are elected for eight-year terms and Dr Moyes is not due to face the voters again until 2011.
Last month, federal candidate for Bennelong Maxine McKew claimed she had received death threats.
