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No Gangsters in Paradise cover art

No Gangsters in Paradise

By: Mahmood Fazal
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$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

  • Summary

  • Please note: This series contains mature themes and listener discretion is advised.

    At the turn of the millennium, Western Sydney was a terrifying gangland. At the heart of the frenzy was the Darwiche-Razzak family conflict – a Romeo-and-Juliet style tragedy complicated by honour codes, politics and drive-by shootings. Journalist Mahmood Fazal draws on his own experiences as a gang member to tell the inside story of Sydney's Lebanese gang wars, to pinpoint why young Muslims just like him commit their lives to violence.

    Fazal delves into the city's cultural divide, the special police task force that dealt with the conflict, and what life is really like behind bars. Tough questions emerge from the investigation: Why did these young people re-enact in Australia the experience of a Middle-Eastern war they never knew and which their parents hoped to leave behind? What role did prejudice play in the police's response to the conflict? And how did Eddie Darwiche get his hands on ten rocket launchers?

    This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 12 episodes to your Library now.
    ©2019 Audible Australia Pty Ltd (P)2019 Audible Australia Pty Ltd
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Episodes
  • Ep. 1: The Western Suburbs

    Ep. 1: The Western Suburbs
    Oct 13 2019

    Following a detailed account of a brutal daylight execution outside a Turkish fast food restaurant, we trace the beginnings of the drug trade in the Western suburbs, as it evolved with the maligned caricature of the Western Sydney Muslim stereotype.
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    25 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • Ep. 2: Kneecapping

    Ep. 2: Kneecapping
    Oct 13 2019

    A dispute over drug territory between two Lebanese crime families spirals into a series of tit for tat shootings that seek to preserve the honour of each family.
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    39 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • Ep. 3: Sharia Law

    Ep. 3: Sharia Law
    Oct 13 2019

    Islamophobia and the cultural divide creates an insular community within the western suburbs. The political climate of the era has a huge influence on everyone’s relationships, choices and the harsh repercussions that comes with them.
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    30 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
Organised Crime
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What listeners say about No Gangsters in Paradise

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Captivating

This was easily one of the best podcasts I have ever listened to. Captivating and raw.

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Outstanding Podcast

Extremely engaging series, narrator is excellent and it is a great story. Mahmood Fazal needs to do more podcasts along the lines of this story. Awesome insight.

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Best podcast ever

Thank you for making this amazing, eye-opening podcast so many emotions after it finished. I had more understanding of crime in Australia. It was well spoken and well presented, I would recommend it to everyone . Saying the facts that were well researched removes the bias from the story.

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Excellent

I binged this in a couple of days. Riveting and thought provoking. Excellent narration by the writer.

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So much more than a gangster story

I'm not really much of a fan of 'gangster stories' but this podcast is so much more than that. It's about family, a city divided, migrants adapting to a new world and the context of religious belief. Glad I gave it a shot!

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great listen

A brilliant insight into a world all too often misrepresented by media and assumptions.
very interesting, I binged it! loved it

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captivating and riveting true life crime

I grew up in the along the same time line so I found it most interesting to be provided with a factual account of the events that took place. this has the makings of another underbelly installment.

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outstanding.

a insight into the lives of young men that have been twisted by the want of power and money and the sadness that is the road it leads you down.

I could not stop listening... 5 stars from me

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phenomenal insight

Mahmood's background gives him a unique insight into the history of early 2000s middle eastern criminality and the crimes surrounding the Darwich Razzaq feud. a great listen. really eye opening stuff.

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10 out of 10

fantastic story of a much misunderstood part of Australia history. I now understand what was happening beneath the surface, and although some simply got what they deserved, my heart goes out the their families, and friends who will suffer long into the future. Anthony Melbourne.

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.