Tareq Kamleh - or Abu Yusuf, as he calls himself - appears in the Isis propaganda video.
The Australian doctor who fled to Syria to join Isis has hit out at claims he was brainwashed into making the move in an open letter.
Tareq Kamleh, who was living in Perth until he moved to the Middle East in March, has responded to the the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, who confirmed it had taken action against the paediatrician after he appeared in an Isis video urging foreign medics to join him.
Abu Yousef al-Australie, as he likes to be known, insists in the letter that his fundamental lifestyle change was an educated decision, while he also made scathing attacks on the country he vows to never call home again.
"I made a very well-educated and calculated decision to come here, it did not involve any brain washing," the letter says.
"I have come here as there are locals suffering from normal medical conditions despite being surrounded by war, with an overt lack of qualified medical care.
"Is it not my humanitarian duty to help these children also?!...or only kids with white skin and blue passports?!"
Kamleh then goes on to blame Australia's military involvement for more deaths than that of the extremist group.
"Interestingly the 2 drone strikes that have occurred since I have been here have not claimed the life of a single male, let alone a solider.....good work "Team Australia"!!....from what I've seen you have more blood on your hands that ISIS has on their knives..."
The doctor, believed to be in his late 20s, slammed media reports that his holiday with friends in South Africa was labelled as a recruitment drive for ISIS.
"This "recruitment camp" that the media continues to refer to was a fishing trip to Cape York with friends from Adelaide of 10 years, which consisted of 2 truckies with their wives, and a male nurse....all non-Muslim Caucasian Australians.....many photos of big fish and beautiful beaches to go with it.....I don't think even they knew they were "expert recruiters"."
Although Kamleh could face up to 25 years behind bars if he returns to Australia - he made it abundantly clear before signing off on his letter that he would not allow this to happen.
"I never intend to return to Australia, I have finally returned home."
Last month, it was revealed Kamleh tried to get into medical school in New Zealand, but failed after a year and left the country.
Kamleh lived at Cumberland Hall during 2003 and studied first-year health sciences at Otago University in Dunedin.
When he failed to proceed into medicine, he returned to Australia and dropped off the radar of most of his New Zealand friends.
He completed his medical dress at Adelaide University, worked as a paediatric registrar at the Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital until 2013.
He then moved to north Queensland where he worked at Mackay Base Hospital, before working in Perth until late 2014.
Kamleh appeared in the Isis recruitment video calling for foreign medics to join him in the city of Raqqa to help launch the Islamic State Health Service.
The video quickly went viral and caused his former medical colleagues in Australia to speak out.
Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton confirmed Dr Kamleh left the country on a flight to Kuala Lumpur in March.
"Reports in relation to an Australian doctor going to serve in Syria are deeply disturbing," Mr Dutton said.
"For a highly educated doctor to succumb to the message of this death cult is concerning to all Australians."
He could be charged and sentenced up to 25 years behind bars if he returns to Australia.
Dear AHPRA,
Thank you for your email, I have read all the attached articles and I am also aware of what has been said throughout the media and I have noted some interesting points;
1. In an article attached to a formalized email, with legal based content, I would appreciate that the article not contain quotation marks of statements I clearly did not say.
2. Interestingly I have learnt that the people who mean the least when you are there, suddenly mean the most when you are not.
3. This "recruitment camp" that the media continues to refer to was a fishing trip to Cape York with friends from Adelaide of 10 years, which consisted of 2 truckies with their wives, and a male nurse....all non-Muslim Caucasian Australians.....many photos of big fish and beautiful beaches to go with it.....I don't think even they knew they were "expert recruiters"
4. I made a very well educated and calculated decision to come here, it did not involve any brain washing. Since being here I have seen that it is in no way as described by the colorful Australian politicians "murdering and raping everyone in their way"...."death cult". The only death that I have had to deal with since being here has been from either pathology or coalition drone strikes. Running the pediatric component of the casualties, my favorite time was telling the mum of a 6 year old girl that the fact that her brains were on her face meant that she was dead. To answer her screams of why their house......I really had no answer.... Interestingly the 2 drone strikes that have occurred since I have been here have not claimed the life of a single male, let alone a solider.....good work "Team Australia"!!....from what I've seen you have more blood on your hands that ISIS has on their knives...
5. If you truly have concerns of "womanizing" or "alcoholic" behaviors, maybe you should look into every Australian medical school, starting with the yearly AMSA conventions. Interesting hospital admissions of the Adelaide convention in 2007 (which had a budget of over $300,000...money well spent considering people are still starving to death in parts of the world) was a female student with toxic gonococcal pharyngitis, and several admissions with acute alcohol induced hepatitis... I'm sure they all enjoyed getting their stomachs' pumped!....or maybe the Adelaide group of male medical students who printed jumpers titled "super rooters"...whereby having sex with people from every state within the week gained them entry...
6. I have come here as there are locals suffering from normal medical conditions despite being surrounded by war, with an overt lack of qualified medical care. Is it not my humanitarian duty to help these children also?!...or only kids with white skin and blue passports?!...I have no input or responsibility over the political or military actions of the state, if they are correct I wish them progression, if they are not, this is between them and God.
7. I formally deny that I have ever taken part in unprofessional conduct which would have jeopardized my doctor-patient relationship.
8. I never intend to return to Australia, I have finally returned home.
Kind regards,Dr. Tareq Kamleh (Abu Yousef Al-Australie)
8/5/15
- Daily Mail
