The Mehajer family rely on media and their sibling group chat to keep up to date with the latest happenings of their most infamous member Salim, it can be revealed.
Life as part of one of Sydney’s most well-known families hasn’t been the same since his 2015 wedding to ex-wife Aysha that shut down Lidcombe, in the city’s west, and drew international attention to the family.
There are ten Mehajers, with father Mohamad, 61 and mother Amal, 58, two sons Salim, 31, and Khaled, and eight daughters including Fatima, Zenah, Kat, Aiisha, Sanaa, 22, and the youngest, Mary, 19.
In a rare insight behind the glamorous Instagram accounts and closed doors of their western Sydney mansions, second youngest sibling Sanaa told Daily Mail Australia exactly what life is like as part of her family.
Infamous property developer Salim Mehajer (right), 31, poses for a photo with his mother Amal (left), 57
Salim (right) followed in the footsteps of his millionaire father Mohamad (left), but was recently in jail for allegedly perverting the course of justice by faking a car crash
A rare photo of the six Mehajer sisters: (From left) Sanaa, Zenah, Aisha, Kat, Fatima and Mary
Mohamad and Amal only moved from Lebanon to Australia in the 1990s, but quickly built a successful property empire across the booming suburbs of western Sydney.
However, the family’s anonymity vanished in August 2015 with son Salim’s elaborate wedding to Aysha. The multi-million dollar ceremony brought their Lidcombe street to a standstill, with helicopters, fighter jets, motorbikes and sports cars involved in the procession.
Since then, Salim’s life has regularly made headlines, including his recent stint in jail for allegedly faking a car crash – but to his siblings, he’s ‘just the same old Salim’.
‘He is a closed book when it comes to his family, anything we find out is through you guys or in the group chat,’ Ms Mehajer said.
‘He’s just the brother that we grew up with, the exact same person at home since we were young. When it comes to his situations, whether it’s court matters or whatever, he’s a closed book.
‘People come up to me in the street and say: “How’s your brother?”. And I’m like: “You think I know?” We’re biologically related, that’s it.
‘I don’t even follow him on Instagram, I know nothing about his new partner either. It is hard… all of us siblings are super close, but we all live separate lives now.’
Coming from an enormous family, Ms Mehajer says it’s almost impossible to keep up with all that’s going on but regularly sees her sisters.
Sanaa Mehajer (left), the little sister of property developer Salim, spoke exclusively with Daily Mail Australia about her volatile marriage to Mouhamed ‘Moudi’ Tajjour (right) and family
Sanaa (far left), Kat (left), Fatima (right) and Mary (far right), regularly keep in touch through a family group chat
‘All us siblings are super close, but we all live separate lives. Everyone’s married, has their own career, has their own family,’ Ms Mehajer said.
‘We were all super close growing up – and still are super close – but everyone’s living their own life. I don’t always know what my sister’s are up to, I only find out on group chat.’
While her older brother has regularly made headlines since his wedding, Ms Mehajer kept a low profile until her own volatile marriage to bikie Moudi Tajjour late last year.
She says being thrust into the headlines didn’t phase her and eventually allowed her to prove her detractors wrong.
‘I’ve always ignored it. Prior to me getting married I was always in my own lane, I kind of always brushed it off and didn’t partake in anything, I wanted to be a hidden gem,’ she said.
‘There’s a lot of misconceptions about me because of the family I come from, but I’m just a regular person.
Ms Mehajer is the younger sister of disgraced property developer Salim (pictured with ex-wife Aysha)
Aiisha Mehajer (left) and a rare photograph of her mother Amal (right)
Kat Sakalaki (right, with her sister Zena) at a lavish $10,000 baby shower for her son Abraham
‘They think I’m a stuck up rich kid, but I go to university, go to work, come home and eat a regular meal, go on social media and go to sleep – that’s it.
‘I’m not going to luncheons everyday, I don’t have a $500,000 car – I’m just a regular person like everyone else… now I get messages from people saying they love that I’m just down to earth and real, so there’s a misconception in that regard.’
But the last few months haven’t been easy for the second youngest Mehajer, with the fallout from her breakup with Tajjour broadcast on social media.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Mail Australia she spoke about the couple’s two-day long engagement, their volatile relationship and how she knew it was over on their honeymoon.
THE WHIRLWIND WEDDING: ‘I WAS ON CLOUD NINE’
‘We knew of each other prior to my sister’s wedding, but it was our official meeting,’ Ms Mehajer said.
‘We just kicked off from there, we were just the very best of friends I guess. It was like I was on cloud nine and then we decided to get married.
In 2007, the bikie enforcer and his brother Sleiman were convicted of manslaughter over the death of George Nassour. The pair were both jailed, but released in 2010.
But according to Ms Mehajer, the pair never talked about his criminal history.
‘I know what happened because of what is available to read, but I don’t know the ins and outs. His past was his past… I saw beyond it and just didn’t judge him,’ she said.
‘I guess the whole bikie thing is sensationalised a little bit. When you meet his friends and stuff it’s not scary or anything… it’s not like: “Oh my god he’s a bikie”.
‘Early days he was good with people and everybody seemed to like him. I never saw anything negative until our honeymoon… then I was like: “OK, I didn’t actually know you at all”.’
Going from an unknown to making headlines in the space of 48 hours, it wasn’t long until Ms Mehajer’s ‘cloud nine’ marriage was in free fall.
New South Wales Police last week took out an AVO against Tajjour on behalf of Ms Mehajer, 22 (pictured above). Tajjour consented to the AVO without admitting to what he is accused of
Tajjour taunted Ms Mehajer on their honeymoon, banging on her hotel door late at night after she had fled their joint room
Little more than a fortnight after their Boxing Day wedding the couple jetted away to Asia for their honeymoon (pictured), but their relationship soon began to implode
THE ‘HORRIFIC’ HONEYMOON
Little more than a fortnight after their Boxing Day wedding the couple jetted away to Asia for their honeymoon. But Ms Mehajer claims it wasn’t with the man she married.
‘We went to Koh Samui, Thailand, and had plans to travel Asia but when the marriage started to breakdown on the honeymoon I didn’t want to,’ she said.
‘Basically there was a change in his personality, a change in behaviour and that didn’t coincide with what I expected (as a wife). I guess some people accept some types of behaviours and attributes, but that wasn’t for me.
‘There were little signs but I guess fights aren’t out of the ordinary in any relationship.
‘(It) started off with the name calling, so things like “sl**”. Fights were followed by apologies, followed by aggression again. It was just up and down like a yo-yo and it started to get emotionally draining, as you can imagine.’
The details of their marriage breakdown were detailed in court documents last week in Burwood Local Court, where Tajjour agreed to the AVO taken out on behalf of Ms Mehajer.
The court files revealed Ms Mehajer was fed up with being called a “rat”, a “sl**” and being abused by her husband on their honeymoon, so moved into a separate hotel room.
But the court heard that Tajjour continued to taunt her by banging on her hotel door late at night, before she was forced to flee her honeymoon and return to Sydney.
‘There was just an exchange of messages which were horrific to say the least. I was by myself, I did not tell anyone, I just told him I was leaving,’ she recalled.
‘It made me question my self-worth. I was raised in a family where my parents taught me to love myself… and I was like: “Why was I feeling so great about myself and I got married and suddenly I’m feeling like a piece of s**t?”.
‘I knew that it was over the day he called me a sl** and I knew that it would only get worse from there, and it did.’
Leaving for Sydney on February 5, the pair had one final ‘civil’ discussion in the hotel lobby during which Tajjour gave her his apartment keys and credit card and told her to ‘get back on her feet’.
But just over an hour later, by the time she’d made it from Koh Samui to Bangkok, the goodwill was gone.
‘At Bangkok airport I just received an influx of texts from him abusing the hell out of me. Midway through the messages he’d apologise, say “I love you”, and then start all over again.’
Tajjour (pictured) enters Burwood Local Court after NSW Police took out an AVO on behalf of Ms Mehajer
The cousin of Kings Cross nightclub identity John Ibrahim consented to the AVO in Burwood Local Court without admitting to what Ms Mehajer accused him of
In 2007, Tajjour (left) bikie enforcer and his brother Sleiman (right) were both convicted of manslaughter over the death of George Nassour. They were released in 2010
THE AVO: ‘DO YOU WANT ME TO SHOOT HER?’
Walking in the front door to their place she was confronted by the bikie enforcer who threatened to throw her belongings over the balcony.
After packing her bags she claims he also pulled at her hand in an attempt to snatch back the prized wedding he gave her just months earlier.
Leaving her and Tajjour’s apartment, Ms Mehajer moved back into her parents’ home in Lidcombe.
But despite agreeing not to air their dirty laundry in public the heavily-tattooed bikie continued to torment Ms Mehajer over social media, even using his friends’ accounts when she blocked him.
‘I received numerous emails calling me a “sl**” just because I’m with a male friend for instance. He would get his friends to message me because he was blocked – I not once posted anything about him,’ she said.
Having put up with Tajjour’s aggression towards her for several months, Ms Mehajer was left shaken and scared by his behaviour on Wednesday, April 4.
After a series of Instagram posts accusing his ex-wife of a variety of things, the 23-year-old finally bit back.
‘What I did was re-post what he’d posted about me on my story. It wasn’t something I wanted to do but I felt like I had to go to his level to make him stop,’ Ms Mehajer said.
‘I think he took my kindness for weakness and he took advantage of me… I think he thought I was voiceless and I didn’t know my rights, but he’s messing with a potential lawyer.’
But Ms Mehajer’s retaliation set Tajjour off. With Instagram as his chosen medium, he again launched a 50 second video tirade announcing that he was near her parents’ home and threatening to turn up.
Tajjour (left) is the cousin of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim (right)
‘It was unforeseeable’: Ms Mehajer said she never imagined her marriage to Tajjour would fall apart in the manner that it did
Arriving at the home of her parents within minutes, Ms Mehajer locked the doors and hid inside as her father confronted Tajjour on the front lawn, court papers revealed.
During the argument Tajjour allegedly said to Mr Mehajer in Arabic: ‘Do you want me to shoot her?’
Left ‘sick and scared’ by the confrontation, Ms Mehajer immediately sought an AVO.
‘Before I used to call his bluff when he’d say certain things or threaten certain things, but this time, the fact that he actually made that video and came to my house, he actually instilled fear in me,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I wanted an AVO, because he shouldn’t be allowed to do what he wants and dictate my life. I felt like everything was on his terms, I wanted to control my life again.’
MOVING ON: ‘I’M RELIEVED, I CAN FOCUS ON MY CAREER NOW’
Appearing at Burwood Local Court last Thursday, Tajjour agreed to the set conditions of the AVO which will be in place for at least the coming 12 months.
Ms Mehajer claims the order has already brought her comfort and allowed her to put her focus back onto studying law at University of Technology Sydney.
‘I’m relieved that I have this order, because although we were over before, I felt like it wasn’t because of his intimidation on social media, I felt like it was never ending,’ she said.
‘I publicly share my life because I can. I shouldn’t be scared because someone tells me not to, or because someone is not going to be happy about who I’m with – that’s their problem.
‘It was worrying me in terms of my reputation and career. Now that I have this court order in place I feel so much more relieved. I can focus on my career, I can focus on my charity, and it’s motivated me.’
In the wake of her marriage breakdown Ms Mehajer has continued to study and work part-time at a Sydney law firm, but she’s also found a new passion and plans to start her own charity ‘Girls on a Mission’.
Following in the footsteps of other family members, she hopes the foundation will be able to help women in poverty and ‘suffering’ from ‘domestic violence’.
‘The whole controlling factor that he had pushed me even more to fight for women’s rights and made me so much more passionate about what I’m doing because now it is personable to me,’ she said.
‘My story probably isn’t anywhere near as intense as someone else’s, but it’s driven my passion to fight for women and the voiceless.’
On April 4, Tajjour (left) turned up at the home of Ms Mehajer’s parents in his luxury sports car (pictured) and told her father in Arabic: ‘Do you want me to shoot her?’