Tony, Dalia and Rita could be sent back to religious persecution and violence in Egypt after 7 years in Australia. Join a massive community call to keep them safe
By change.org
It’s Tony’s worst nightmare come true. His family is once again in danger, simply because of their religion.
After seven years in Australia, Tony Nahal, his wife Dalia and their six-year old daughter Rita could be forced to return to Egypt -- where just last week more than 20 Coptic Christians like the Nahals were brutally killed. Tony’s family has made a life in Australia after fleeing religious persecution and seeking asylum. Despite the recent killings, Tony’s appeals to the Immigration Department have fallen on deaf ears and they now face being sent back to certain danger. Their last hope lies with Immigration Minister Chris Bowen.
Minister Bowen has intervened in similar cases this year, and the desperate fate of Copts in Egypt is drawing increasing attention in the media. A huge outcry from Tony’s community has already persuaded the Minister to state he will personally consider the case over the next month.
Tony’s employer, Charlotte Sanders, is leading the campaign to save him -- and has started a petition on Change.org urgently calling on Minister Bowen to grant Tony protection in Australia. Join her -- click here and help build a massive call to Minister Bowen to keep the Nahals safe.
It’s well within Minister Bowen’s power to fix this -- the best interests of six-year old Rita, and the family’s close ties to its community fit the legal guidelines required for his intervention.
Charlotte says that Tony is one of the most valued and trusted employees of her small business, and she would hate to lose him. For Rita, a little girl who has spent her entire life in Australia and knows no other home, the loss would be even more devastating: she would be ripped away from her friends, her school, and the only life she has ever known. What’s more, Tony’s wife Dalia plays a crucial role in the life of her critically ill elderly mother, who also lives in Australia.
The Nahals’ next-door neighbour, Robert Latimer, just signed the petition saying: “The family have lived next door to our family for several years now...they are wonderful people who are and will be great contributors to this country.”
This is our moment to show that as Australians, we care deeply about the fate of people like Tony and his family, and we refuse to stand by and watch as they are sent back to certain danger.
Together we can make sure Tony, Dalia and Rita can stay in the country they call home.
Thanks for being a part of this,
Nick and the Change.org team
Comments
Leftover woodworms from Ruddock's immigration department
Labour inherited from Howard an immigration department that its minister from 1996 to 2003, Philip Ruddock, stacked with redneck racist officials who produced a string of illegal expulsions that caused untold refugee misery and cost the public purse millions in won compensation cases.
At one time hundreds were in illegal detention and sued or settled claims successfully.
You might change the politicians in an election, but civil servants stay on like pernicious weeds.
Not that Labor's handling of refugees is an iota better.
But Ruddock's rednecks are probably still in there like woodworm making the kind of decisions that produce insanely inhumane situations like that of the Nahals.
In Howard's time and since they have been known to send refugees back to harassment, imprisonment, torture and death in their countries of origin. Don't these monsters know what's going on in the world or don't they care?
Be good if someone could update us a bit on the attitudes and culture of present-day immigration staff.
Good place here to do some whistleblowing.
And if you'd like a good giggle - or refresh your fury - on what a splendid, upstanding, humane, migration-growing politician Ruddock has been, click here for a fawning, bum-kissing commentary. I came across it surfing for the dirt on him.
Nahal decision due any time
The story of Tony, Rita and Dalia Nahal being ripped away from their life in Australia and sent to religious persecution in Egypt has touched thousands of Australians since we emailed about it a few weeks ago.
Support has exploded for the petition started by Tony’s employer Charlotte on Change.org. More than 4,600 people have already signed the petition and emailed Immigration Minister Chris Bowen urging him to intervene, and the Sunday Herald Sun’s repeated feature articles have drawn media attention to the case [1].
This outpouring of community support has already persuaded Minister Bowen to grant a one month extension so he can personally consider the case [2]. That visa extension is almost up -- and inside sources suggest a final decision over the Nahal’s fate is likely to be made in the next 48 hours. This should be a common-sense decision -- let’s make sure it is.
In the final hours, every voice will add power to Charlotte’s call. Since you’ve already signed, click here and share the campaign on Facebook right now.
Charlotte’s campaign to save the Nahals’ has drawn support from all corners of the community -- Liberal MP Kevin Andrews and Labor MP Brendan O'Connor have both written in support of the family's asylum bid, and countless leading community members have appealed to Minister Bowen for his direct intervention.
Beyond passionate public support, legal guidelines give Minister Bowen every reason to intervene in cases like this -- he’s legally required to consider the family’s integration in the community and the best interests of their six-year-old Rita, who would find Egypt a frightening, violent and completely unfamiliar world.
Let’s bring together thousands more in support of the Nahals’ case - click here to share on Facebook right now.
Together, we can ensure that common sense prevails -- and the Nahals are allowed to stay in the country they call home.
Thanks for being a part of this,
Nick and the Change.org team
[1] Family fears for their lives if they are forced back to Egypt, Sunday Herald Sun, 9/10/11 and Asylum bid family wins support to stay in Australia, Sunday Herald Sun, 30/10/11
[2] Immigration Minister agrees to review deportation of family, Sunday Herald Sun, 16/10/11