At the turn of the millennium, Western Sydney was caught in a media maelstrom. It was portrayed as a terrifying gangland with a conflict between the Lebanese-Australian Darwiche-Razzak-Fahda families at its heart.
As the 2001 September 11 attacks in New York put a spotlight on Muslim people around the world, this heightened tension was increasing divides between Lebanese Australians and the wider community, only adding to the moral panic.
Over a decade later, No Gangsters in Paradise, the latest Audible Original Podcast, is out to set the record straight about the Western Sydney Lebanese Gang Wars of the 2000s. It’s an intriguing look back on a notorious Sydney story that is both very local and very global, retrospective and relevant.
While many Sydneysiders feel they know the story all too well, journalist Mahmood Fazal goes behind the headlines to get the raw, untold reality from the local families who lived it – Lebanese refugees who moved to Sydney in the 1970s.
Himself no stranger to gangs, Fazal asks tough questions and makes shocking discoveries. He explores topics like police prejudice and how the gang wars and the panicked media coverage continue to affect the lives of those living in Western Sydney today.
Tough questions emerge from the 11-episode podcast. Does ‘an eye for an eye’ mentality have a place in Australia? What role did prejudice play in the police’s response to the conflict? And how the hell did Eddie Darwiche get his hands on ten rocket launchers?
Head to Audible.com.au/gangsters and get No Gangsters in Paradise free with a 30 day trial. It’s just one title in a fast-growing slate of local Audible Original Podcasts shining a light on Aussie experiences and sparking thought-provoking conversation.
