With his neck and arms and shaven head plastered in tattoos, former bikie Robbie Maestracci doesn’t look like your typical Muslim.
However five years ago while he was behind bars he converted to Islam, sparking an unlikely friendship with a Muslim leader in the process.
Maestracci says the community gave him a second chance, and on SBS’s The Mosque Next Door the ex-bikie opened up about his friendship with Imam Uzair – who runs Brisbane’s Holland Park Mosque.
Plastered with ink all over his neck and arms and a shaved head, ex-bikie Robbie Maestracci (left) doesn’t appear like a typical Muslim (with Muslim leader friend Imam Uzair right)
While spending time behind bars, the former bikie (pictured) converted to Islam five years ago
An unlikely friendship was made between the Muslim leader (right) and the former bikie (left)
‘I’ve got criminal history, I’ve been locked up,’ Maestracci told the program.
‘I’m very blessed that I’ve got a job working with our community here, but if our community wasn’t open to me, where would I work?’
Since leaving jail, Maestracci founded a support program for other Muslims in jail and is now an Islamic Council Youth Worker.
There are about 100 Muslim prisoners in Queensland jails according to the documentary, many of which Maestracci has been helping through his prison chaplaincy program.
Two years after Maestracci converted to Islam he was was arrested in anti-terror raids, before the charges against him were dropped due to a lack of evidence.
He claims he was caught up in the raids because he had ‘crim’ written all over him, and spoke about the impact being falsely accused of terror offences had on his life.
Another man who served time in jail was 21-year-old Jesse, who also converted to Islam behind bars and more recently changed his name to Jihad.
The ex-bikie was given a second chance after doing time in jail and is helping other Muslims who were in jail including 21-year-old Jihad (right)
‘I’m very blessed that I’ve got a job working with our community here, but if our community wasn’t open to me, where would I work?,’ Maestracci told the documentary
Two years after Maestracci (pictured) converted to Islam he was arrested in anti-terror raids, before the charges against him were dropped due to a lack of evidence
‘I stopped using drugs the day I became Muslim,’ Jihad told the program.
While the Muslims said they are treated like a ‘gang or bike clubs’ by some, the ex-bikie said the one place to find ‘good practicing Muslims’ is at a mosque.
The documentary series about Brisbane’s Holland Park Mosque, which opened in 1908, shines a light on the lives of Muslims, educating Australians they are the second largest religion in the world and is one not to be feared.
A study from October shows more than almost half of Australians support a ban on Muslim immigration.
A survey of more than 2000 people by Australian Population Research Institute found 54 per cent wanted a reduction in the annual migrant intake.
Australian’s population increased by 389,000 people to 24.5 million in the year to march mainly because of the arrival of new immigrants.