CANBERRA, Australia (CBSNewYork/AP) -- An official says an Islamic cleric has left Australia after comments he made against homosexuality sparked a government review of his visa.
Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton said on Wednesday that British cleric Farrokh Sekaleshfar had decided to leave Sydney Airport late Tuesday before his visa was cancelled.
Sekaleshfar came under investigation over a newspaper report on Tuesday of comments he made about homosexuality during a lecture at the University of Michigan in 2013.
The Australian newspaper reported Sekaleshfar said: "Death is the sentence'' for gay sex acts in public.
Sekaleshfar told Australian Broadcasting Corp. his comments had been taken out of context.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Official: Islamic Cleric Who Made Anti-Gay Comments Leaves Australia Following Controversy
/ CBS New York
CANBERRA, Australia (CBSNewYork/AP) -- An official says an Islamic cleric has left Australia after comments he made against homosexuality sparked a government review of his visa.
Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton said on Wednesday that British cleric Farrokh Sekaleshfar had decided to leave Sydney Airport late Tuesday before his visa was cancelled.
Sekaleshfar came under investigation over a newspaper report on Tuesday of comments he made about homosexuality during a lecture at the University of Michigan in 2013.
The Australian newspaper reported Sekaleshfar said: "Death is the sentence'' for gay sex acts in public.
Sekaleshfar told Australian Broadcasting Corp. his comments had been taken out of context.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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