By Anne Davies and Saffron Howden
At the rally at Lakemba station organised by Hizb ut-Tahrir in the aftermath of the terrorism raids on 25 houses, the anger was palpable.
"Enough is enough of scapegoating the Muslim community," Uthman Badar, one of the organisers, thundered. "We will not be fooled by the spin and propaganda of the government, ASIO, the AFP and the NSW Police.
Fire up: Members of the Muslim community protest in Lakemba over terrorism raids.Credit: Jennifer Polixenni
"The timing is suspect, to put it very, very lightly," he said, the anger crackling in his voice.
In the next week the federal government is expected to introduce its new terrorism laws into Parliament, which will require people who visit prescribed countries to explain and prove the purpose of their visits. The measure is aimed at curbing the flow of predominantly young men to fight for banned organisations such as Islamic State. But the laws will also require people who visit family to prove their bona fides on return.
A woman at a protest in Lakemba.Credit: Jennifer Polixenni
The mainly young men responded with chants in Arabic. Some were dressed in traditional garb, but most wore T-shirts or their work clothes, identifying them as security guards, tradesmen, office workers. Almost all had beards.
Women in burqas and hijab gathered on one side of the 400-strong crowd with the smaller children.
The risk is that far from keeping us safer, raids of this nature – at dawn, with 800 armed police, breaking down the doors of family homes, when there is no evidence of the suspects being armed – will convince young Muslims that those with more fiery messages are correct.
Hizb ut-Tahrir is more hardline than many other Muslim community groups. It describes itself as a political party whose aim is to restore a global caliphate (Islamic state) governed by Sharia law.
The group's firebrand speaker, Wassim Doureihi, did not pull punches.
Western governments are seeking to portray Muslims as "bloodthirsty" and "barbaric", when in fact they are the "terrorists, who rain bombs down on innocent Muslim populations", he said.
"The war on terror is nothing but a war designed to police the response of Muslims to the terror perpetrated on them every single day," he said.
"Is it the Muslims who are flying B-52s, fighter jets dropping bombs and invading foreign lands?"
After the speeches, Sam [he refused to give his second name] said he felt really angry. Was the government being unfair to the Muslim community? "Yes, 100 per cent," he said.
Osman Harace, a 19-year-old university student studying accounting, said he did not understand why authorities only targeted Muslims.
"I was confused because, why would they target Muslims only?" he said.
Born in Myanmar, Mr Harace said he came to Australia at the age of five. He does not support the Islamic State. "What they are doing – the beheading – it's wrong," he said.
But he complained he, and many of his friends, were frequently stopped and searched by police while travelling on public transport, which was unfair.
"I'm always getting stopped. They ask me questions, they ask for my ID. If I look like a Muslim, I get targeted," Mr Harace said.
The police attention strengthened his faith, he said.
Mr Harace's friend, Year 12 student Omar Islam, said he went to the Lakemba rally because a friend texted him about it.
Born in Australia, but of Bangladeshi descent, Mr Islam said he knew just "one or two" people who might support Islamic State.
"I don't support it," he said. "They take out of context what is right."
But he felt the police invaded the privacy of the people whose homes they raided in the anti-terrorism operation. He said he would "pass on the message" he heard during fiery speeches at the protest rally.
One of the men raided, but not arrested, was Rabie el-Achwah. The lanky 22-year-old, sporting a straggly beard, grey hoodie and trackpants, described how police had broken down the door of their townhouse in Bass Hill as he prepared for morning prayers at 4.45am.
Gesturing at the search warrant lying on the dining table, he said he had nothing to do with planning or plotting a terrorist attack as the document claimed.
But he did say that he had been contacted by ASIO, and that his passport had been taken away two to three months ago. "Ever since I went to the Bukhari Bookstore. S
Outside Bukhari House bookstore, a group of young men confirmed that Omarjan Azari, the 22-year-old Afghan man arrested and charged on Thursday, was a regular at the store, which also has a large meeting house.
Inside the bookshop, the surly manager said he had "no comment" either about the bookshop activities or who visits.