The parents of Tareq Kamleh — the Australian paediatrician who abandoned his medical career to join Islamic State and became internationally known as 'Doctor Jihad' — have broken their silence after being informed, just weeks ago, that their son is alive and being held in a prison in Baghdad, Iraq.
The family, based in Perth, had believed Kamleh was killed in combat in Syria in 2017. That assumption was shattered roughly four weeks ago when his father, Imad Kamleh, received a call from the Red Cross confirming his son had survived and was in Iraqi custody.
"It was a shock for us," Imad said. "I can't explain how I felt getting that call. I can't say I felt happy. I felt sorry for him — but sorry for him not as a father, just as a human. We don't endorse what he did. We hate what he did. We condemn it."
A Family Torn Apart by Radicalisation
Tareq Kamleh grew up in Perth's eastern suburbs and attended Lynwood Senior High School. His parents described him as a bright, seemingly normal child who went on to study medicine and work as a paediatrician across hospitals in Adelaide, Queensland and Perth.
There were, his parents said, no warning signs. In 2015, when he was 30 years old, Kamleh told his family he was taking a two-week holiday to Melbourne. Instead, he travelled to Syria and joined Islamic State. His family only discovered the truth when a slick IS propaganda video — featuring Kamleh presenting himself as a doctor working for the terrorist group — aired on television news. He later appeared in further videos brandishing a rifle.
Since the day he left, the family says they have had zero contact with their son.
When asked what message she would send him today, his mother was blunt: "I give no regard to him. From me, nothing."
His father said his message was equally clear — that they were "very angry" with him. "A doctor for children — he could have helped children here in Australia or anywhere in the world. He didn't have to go to Syria and ISIL and that crap. He is stupid," Imad said.
Kamleh Among 13 Australians Seeking Return from Iraq
It has since emerged that Tareq Kamleh is one of 13 Australian men held in the same Baghdad prison, all linked to ISIS, and all reportedly hoping to return to Australia. The disclosure has triggered a sharp political debate about whether they should be permitted back into the country.
A government spokesperson stated the administration had not and would not provide any assistance to Australians who made what it called "the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organisation." Housing Minister Clare O'Neill was more forthright earlier this week, saying as far as she was concerned Kamleh could "rot in jail."
The Opposition has called for active efforts to block any re-entry.
Imad Kamleh said he understood and accepted that position. "Whatever the Australian law says should happen, should happen," he said. He added that he was nonetheless hopeful his son no longer held extreme views, and expressed a wish that Kamleh might one day contribute to de-radicalisation efforts for others.
Isolation and Reflection in Perth
The Kamleh family described a years-long experience of social isolation in Perth following their son's defection to Islamic State — cut off by much of the wider community, including many within Perth's Muslim community.
Imad, who emigrated from Palestine, and his wife, who came from Germany, said Australia had given their family opportunity and freedom, making their son's actions all the more incomprehensible to them.
"Here in Australia we are lucky — we have freedom, it is a good life. If people have different views they can talk. Why did he want to take that away from others? Why would he give that up himself?" Imad said.
The case has reignited debate in Australia about how the government should handle citizens who joined terrorist organisations abroad and the question of what obligations — if any — the country holds toward them upon their capture.
