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'Don't take Indian Muslims for granted'

Haneef to drop case against former Oz minister
Last Updated 21 December 2010, 19:05 IST

“When we sued the Australian Government for Haneef’s wrongful arrest, we knew what it meant for us. It was neither about money nor getting his job back. The fight was to have his honour and dignity restored. Our message was very clear - don’t take Indian Muslims for granted,” Iqbal Siddiqui, maternal uncle of Haneef’s wife Firdous Arshiya, told Deccan Herald from Australia.

Siddiqui accompanied Haneef, his wife Firdous, and their three-year-old daughter Haniya during the two-day mediation process in Brisbane. While he left for Australia from Bangalore, Haneef and his family flew out of Dubai where he is presently working.

Hailing it as a “well-merited” victory, Siddiqui said: “We wanted to prove to the world that pointing fingers at someone merely because of his religion is not as easy as taking candy from a baby. And, thankfully, we have fully succeeded in that,” he observed.

Haneef has been given a ‘significant’ monetary compensation after he struck a non-disclosure agreement with the Australian government. Besides, he has been tendered an apology in which the Government admitted its mistake in wrongly detaining him. It also said sorry for the ‘traumatic’ experiences which had a serious impact on Haneef’s life and career.  Haneef had also sought damages for lost earnings, the disruption to his medical career, damage to his reputation and emotional stress.

Not only that, his previous job at the Gold Coast Hospital has also been restored with the “same service conditions and privileges” he enjoyed before his arrest, Siddiqui added.  

Consequently, Haneef will have no claim over the Australian Government in future and his appeal for seeking legal action against former immigration minister Kevin Andrews will be withdrawn.

Describing the response in the Australian media as “splendid”, Siddiqui thanked them for their support. “This incident has been widely reported without any bias,” he added.  

On the possibility of Haneef’s return to Australia, Siddiqui said that they had not decided about it for the time being. “We’ll think about it. May be, he’ll go back to his previous job or he would work in India. We’re yet to take a final call on the matter,” he said. Siddiqui will leave for Bangalore on Wednesday evening whereas   Haneef and his family will fly out of Australia on Thursday.

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(Published 21 December 2010, 19:05 IST)

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