Top doctor slams Muslim nurses who threatened to kill Jewish patients: 'Can never be near a patient again'
One of Australia's most trusted doctors has demanded a permanent ban for the NSW nurses who bragged about killing and refusing to treat Israeli patients.
Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, from Bankstown Hospital in Sydney's west, were filmed on a public video chat forum dressed in their NSW Health-branded scrubs hurling insults at Jews in a video shared by Israeli influencer Max Veifer,
'It's Palestine's country, not your country you piece of s***,' Abu Lebdeh said.
'One day, your time will come, and you will die the most horrible death.'
'You have no idea how many (Israelis) came to this hospital and I sent them to Jehannam (hell),' Nadir said, while making a throat-slitting gesture.
When asked what she would do if an Israeli patient presented in her ward, Abu Lebdeh responded: 'I won't treat them, I will kill them.'
Dr Nick Coatsworth, who is widely regarded as one of Australia's top doctors, condemned the nurses' views as 'catastrophic' for the country.
'To say the actions of two NSW Health workers are disturbing, frightening and lacking in humanity would be an understatement,' Dr Coatsworth said.
Nurses Rashad Nadir (left) and Sarah Abu Lebdeh (right)
'In fact, any words are an understatement.
'For any healthcare worker to have so much racist hate in their hearts for another member of a different cultural community as to threaten to kill them if they were patients and claim to already have done so is catastrophic for our nation.
'These individuals can never be near a patient again. The investigation by police must be full and wide-ranging.'
Dr Coatsworth said he has worked with both Jewish and Muslim doctors throughout his medical career, including his time with Doctors Without Borders in Sudan, Chad, and the Congo.
'A central tenet of everything I was ever taught and believe in is to treat regardless of race or religion,' he added.
'And I've seen first hand in Sudan what happens when that does not take place.
'Our Jewish community is suffering immeasurably right now. We must do everything to reassure them of their safety under our care.'
Nadir, 27, covered his head in shame when he was confronted by Seven News
The nurses have been stood down pending a police investigation.
'This is a sad day for our country, it is unthinkable that we are confronted with, and forced to, investigate such an appalling incident,' NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said.
'The speed in which this incident was reported by NSW Health significantly assisted detectives in what is a very serious investigation.'
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said there would be a 'conversation' with staff at Bankstown Hospital, 'making sure they know that this type of behaviour is unacceptable'.
Nadir has been stood down from his nursing position at Bankstown Hospital
'I want people ... to know we do not tolerate this ... and I don't want people to hesitate for a second when thinking about whether or not it is safe to approach our health system,' she said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the footage was 'sickening' and shameful.
Nadir, an Australian citizen and Afghan refugee with six years of nursing experience, falsely claimed he was a doctor and told the Israeli man he was 'going to go to' hell.
In addition to his role at Bankstown Hospital, Nadir worked at Observatory Hill Medical Centre in central Sydney one day per week.
Dr Nirmal Singh Grewal, who founded the general practice 25 years ago, told Daily Mail Australia that Nadir had been fired from that job over the incident.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14391073/nick-coatsworth-slams-nurses.html
'I'm so upset that you're Israeli... eventually you're going to get killed and go to (hell)', Nadir said.
When asked why he would be killed, Lebdeh said: 'It's Palestine's country, not your country' and used an obscenity. She said she would not treat any Jewish patients and instead kill them.
The man, with a threatening gesture, said he had already sent many Israelis, who visited the hospital, to 'Jahannam', the term for Islamic hell in Arabic.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament he had seen the video. 'It is driven by hate, and it is disgusting. The comments are vile, the footage is sickening and it is shameful,' he said.
New South Wales state Health Minister Ryan Park said the nurses have been 'stood down immediately' and would never work for the state health department ever again.
'Obviously, the investigative process now takes place. I do not want to leave a sliver of light to allow any of them to be able to think that they will ever work for New South Wales Health again,' Park told reporters.
He added: 'They are vile, disgusting and deranged individuals.'
'This act of bastardry, this vile disgusting behaviour from two individuals will in no way diminish the value the secretary, myself as the minister, but more importantly our state has in the work that [NSW Health staff] do each and every day.'
Mr Park said he was made aware of the 'shocking' and 'appalling' video circulating social media and immediately asked senior NSW Health staff to take action.
'They made me sick to my stomach.'
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park labelled the comments in the video 'disgusting' and 'appalling'
'This is a sad day for our country - it is unthinkable that we are confronted with, and forced to investigate, such an appalling incident,' said New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb.
Australia has seen an escalating series of attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars since the Israel-Gaza war began in October 2023, sparking fear among Australia's nearly 115,000 Jewish people.
Homes, offices and businesses have been vandalised and a school and two synagogues were torched.
Hate crime officials in Sydney and Melbourne - the nation's largest cities where 85 per cent of Australia's Jewish population lives - are separately investigating the discovery of a trailer containing explosives, a list of potential Jewish targets and arson attacks on two synagogues.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14389417/Hospital-starts-checking-records-deaths-suspending-two-nurses-threatened-KILL-Israeli-patients-vile-anti-Semitic-video.html
Footage has emerged of Nadir leading a prayer about martyrdom.
Rashad Nadir, 27, was filmed at a Sydney mosque leading a Noha or Nawha.
The Islamic elegy commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali in the historic Battle of Karbala.
Nadir passionately sang the poem in front of dozens of fellow Muslims in a nearly seven-minute clip posted by his brother to YouTube in June 2020 (they deleted the clip yesterday).
Rashad Nadir was filmed leading a prayer about martyrdom in a Sydney mosque in June 2020
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14387949/Bankstown-nurse-anti-Semitic.html
Rashad Nadir (pictured) was born in Afghanistan. Lebanese Muslim Association (of Australia) Secretary Gamel Kheir refused to condemn Bankstown Hospital employee Ahmad 'Rashad' Nadir.
Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh have gone into hiding, after they claimed to have killed Israeli patients at Bankstown Hospital
Lebanese Muslim Association (of Australia) Secretary Gamel Kheir refused to condemn the Muslim nurses
In November 2023 hundreds of medical professionals across Australia joined protests to free Palestine. Sharon Stoliar made official complaints about medical staff making threats to Jews in 2023 but the authorities tried to fire her and put her in jail for it.
Many medical staff wore their uniforms during the protests against Israel.
