Justice Angus Stewart must be acclaimed for wisdom in his deliberations in the case of Islamic preacher Wissam Haddad (“Judge slams Muslim leader’s racist slurs” DT, 2/7). Freedom of religion, free speech and political affiliation are sacrosanct in Australia. Perhaps the greatest weakness in the preacher’s argument was the contradiction of his Koranic interpretations by an Islamic theology expert. Written in complex early Arabic, exact translations are difficult, and the absence of a timeline to offer context is also unhelpful. But Islam is not alone in fully understanding its belief systems. The availability of the Christian Bible to the masses after the invention of the printing press led to the spawning of the Reformation, often based on individual interpretations of biblical passages used to justify breaking away from the Catholic Church. Being perhaps overly confident and opinionated, Wissam Haddad is not dissimilar to many of his Christian peers running different church groups and certain only they will go to heaven. Judge Stewart is right to confront language that is threatening to the Jews but also harmful to the reputation of Islam and its many peaceful adherents in the towns and cities of Australia. Alan Sexton, North Parramatta 3July2025