Liberal's mosque visit ends in uproar as worshippers boot him out - and he's mocked mercilessly for dressing like a Harry Potter character

A Liberal frontbencher bushed a hasty retreat from a mosque aft helium was heckled and abused by worshippers contempt pledging $6.5million to upgrade the Islamic centre. 

Jason Wood, the Coalition's shadiness curate for Multicultural Affairs, donned a turban and a striped robe to be an Eid supplication lawsuit astatine the Afghan Islamic Centre successful Melbourne's southwest with the section Liberal campaigner for the spot of Bruce connected Monday evening.

Mr Wood was determination to pledge $6.5million successful backing to upgrade the facilities but helium was met with hostility.

Videos circulating connected societal media showed worshippers lasting up and shouting astatine Mr Wood, portion 1 video adjacent showed a scuffle breaking retired among the crowd.

As Mr Wood near the venue, helium was abused by a antheral filming the exchange.

'You're not invited present brother, get retired of here,' the antheral said. 

As 1 of Mr Wood's entourage tries to intervene, the antheral added: 'I'll interruption your face, bro. Get retired of here.'

But the ignominy for the Liberal frontbencher did not extremity there, with his spiritual costume likened connected societal media to the Harry Potter quality Quirinus Quirrel, a turban-wearing teacher successful the archetypal publication of JK Rowling's franchise.

'Jason Wood MP has been announced arsenic the caller Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for the upcoming schoolhouse year,' 1 idiosyncratic quipped connected X.

John Macgowan, Bruce Lehrmann's one-time media guru and a erstwhile Liberal staffer, said the footage was 'an implicit classical successful the 'Liberal MP taste cosplay' genre'. 

'He looks similar he's astir to state the yearly hunger games open,' helium added. 

A video posted by the Stand for Palestine group, which lobbies mosques not to invited politicians who bash not enactment its cause, was accompanied with the caption: 'May Allah reward those who stood up'.

'Shoutout to our Afghan brothers and those who took a noble stance to marque it wide that genocide-supporters are NOT invited successful our spaces,' different station stated.

'Reportedly, Jason Wood ended by 'thanking the Afghans who helped the ADF successful Afghanistan' - what a horrendous and insensitive connection from a vile idiosyncratic who SHOULD NEVER person been welcomed by immoderate of our masajid and imams!'

A spokesperson for Mr Wood's bureau said the lawsuit was 'gate crashed by pro Palestinian supporters from different Mosques'.   

'There were pro Palestinian supporters, and they started heckling and raising against our beingness astatine the event,' they said.

'Jason made the announcement and received applause from the crowd.

'Nearing the extremity of Jason's speech, determination was immoderate commotion astatine the backmost of the crowd.

'While Jason and Zahid were leaving, determination were immoderate fights among groups of radical successful the crowd, not related oregon targeted astatine Jason.

The spokesperson added: 'Jason and Zahid person been receiving galore messages of acknowledgment and gratitude from the Afghan community.

'The Afghan assemblage members are besides aggravated and consciousness embarrassed by the incidental arsenic Jason and Zahid were guests of them.'

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said helium was 'not acrophobic astir the authorities of this' erstwhile asked astir Mr Wood astatine a property league connected Tuesday morning.

'What I americium acrophobic astir is societal cohesion, and societal cohesion is truly important,' Mr Albanese said.

'Elections travel and go, bash you cognize what stays? Our committedness to multiculturalism.'

The occurrence comes aft leaders of a mosque visited by Peter Dutton sought to region themselves from the Opposition Leader.

On Sunday, Mr Dutton visited the Al Madinah Mosque successful the outer Sydney suburb of Leppington, wherever helium pledged $25,000 for CCTV cameras to amended security.

But the mosques leaders enactment retired a connection clarifying that his sojourn should not beryllium regarded arsenic enactment for the Liberal Party oregon its leader.

'Please bash not spot this sojourn present arsenic an endorsement of immoderate sort, rather, we question to stock with you the views and challenges that galore Australian Muslims are facing today, truthful that whitethorn assistance you formulate policies and supply enactment that is of important value to each Australians,' the connection said, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The connection besides demanded a nationalist apology from Mr Dutton astir past comments helium has made astir Lebanese Muslims. 

In 2016, Mr Dutton said: 'The proposal I person is that retired of the past 33 radical who person been charged with terrorist-related offences successful this country, 22 of those radical are from 2nd and 3rd procreation Lebanese-Muslim background'. 

The leaders said the comments were of 'deep concern'.

'Whilst we who are present contiguous are chiefly Australian Pakistanis, we powerfully condemn these comments astir our Australian Lebanese brothers and sisters, and would bash the aforesaid if immoderate migrant radical from immoderate different religion were the taxable to akin comments,' the connection added. 

'Whilst we recognize you person apologised, we recognize this was not a nationalist apology and we inquire that this beryllium rectified.'

Meanwhile, a Labor-aligned person of a mosque successful the Greens-held spot of Griffith successful Brisbane has said Mr Dutton would not beryllium welcome. 

'Mr Dutton's past of divisive rhetoric, peculiarly towards migrants and the Muslim community, arsenic good arsenic his enactment for policies that could disproportionately impact our community, marque his sojourn inconsistent with our values,' Holland Park Mosque spokesperson Ali Kadri, a Labor subordinate who volunteered for Jim Chalmers astatine the 2022 election, told the publication.