A Sydney bakery made Hamas-themed cakes and cupcakes for a child’s fourth birthday and shared the custom-made products on a now-deleted social media post on Wednesday, according to the Australian Jewish Association.
Oven Bakery by Fufu’s Instagram post featured cakes and cupcakes emblazoned with the Palestinian flag and the image of Hamas Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obaida.
The custom confectionaries were made for the birthday of a child named Omar, who was dressed in military fatigues and wearing a red keffiyeh on his face in emulation of the terrorist.
The caption of the post included an upside-down red triangle, which is used in Hamas propaganda to denote the targeting of a person or vehicle with munitions. A New South Wales clothing store, Ayahs, responded to the post with two red triangles and the comment “Love it.” A Sydney workshop and event hosting business, At the Warehouse, also commented that “Omar is a champion.”
Deleting the post
Oven Bakery by Fufu deleted its Instagram accounts since AJA brought attention to the post. The bakery did not immediately respond to a Jerusalem Post request for comment.
AJA CEO Robert Gregory said that dressing a child up as a terrorist and illustrating a cake in such a manner was a “form of child abuse.”
“Islamic extremism and radicalization of youth is not just a problem for the Jewish community. It’s a threat to all Australians,” said Gregory. “Australia has seen several recent incidents of Muslim youth allegedly stabbing or plotting to attack other Australians. Indoctrination starts at a young age and is similar to what is seen across the Middle East. This is nothing short of child terrorist grooming.”
Gregory called on authorities to take action but doubted that they would do so. He also denounced the failure of the Australian government to act against extremism in the country.
Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization under Australia’s Criminal Code.