Jamal Rifi
Dr Jamal Rifi, (born 16 June 1959) is a General Practitioner and prominent figure in the Lebanese Muslim community in Sydney and is described as having an "absolute love" of being a doctor. Rifi is known for winning the The Australian newspaper’s Australian of the Year, in January 2015.
Background
Rifi has been acknowledged for his work in trying to prevent the radicalisation of young people in Sydney and has been praised for his community work;[1][2] however, he has also been criticised and received death threats, including from terrorist Mohamed Elomar, who once tweeted that he would give money to people who helped intimidate Rifi, whom he described as a "Habashi dog", and his family.[1][3][4]
He has strongly criticised the content some of the material sold in Islamic bookshops, saying that it is better to discuss these issues rather than banning books.[5]
In 2010 he was a National Finalist as Australia's Local Hero for the Australian of the Year.[6] Subsequently in January 2015 he was chosen by The Australian newspaper as its alternate Australian of the Year.[7] When he was announced as the winner, he was praised by senior politician Scott Morrison who said that Rifi is a, "great Australian".[7]
In October 2015 Dr Rifi was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Canberra.[8]
See also
References
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- ↑ http://www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/media/media-releases/2015/september/university-of-canberra-graduations-october-2015
