Inshallah’: Mehajer Vows Comeback After Nearly 5 Years Inside

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Salim Mehajer, the controversial former deputy mayor of Auburn, has signalled his intention to stage a comeback after being released on parole this July. Posting an Instagram update wearing a white Adidas shirt and sunglasses, Mehajer declared, “The comeback will be greater than the setback,” and appended the Arabic term inshallah (God willing). Released after serving the non-parole period of his seven years and nine months sentence, he continues to appeal his domestic violence conviction, which he claims was unfair. 

Mehajer, now 39, has seen a string of criminal convictions: earlier, he was imprisoned for two counts of perverting the course of justice and a false statement under oath. In 2023, he faced further convictions for fraud and serious domestic violence offences including assault, intimidation, and suffocation during an argument with an ex-partner. 

Since his release, Mehajer has been adhering to strict parole conditions. These include regular reporting to a community corrections officer, mandatory participation in domestic violence prevention programs, ongoing psychological treatment by a private psychologist, and random testing for drugs and alcohol. He has also initiated an appeal of his domestic violence conviction, arguing the trial was deeply flawed.

The Instagram post marked a deliberate return to public attention, following earlier updates—from his first post-release selfie showing a fresh haircut to logistical visits to Service NSW for a driver’s licence and a cosmetic dentist in Hornsby to restore his teeth. These steps suggest Mehajer is intent on rebuilding a public persona with renewed appearance and legal footing. 

Mehajer rose to notoriety in 2015 as Auburn’s deputy mayor, attracting public attention for his lavish wedding that disrupted city traffic and for a succession of legal and financial controversies that followed. Throughout, he maintained a defiant image, one that appears to persist as he attempts to relaunch his public life. 

While his ambitions remain to be seen, his efforts symbolised by both the phrase “inshallah” and the public declarations reflect a calculated bid to re-emerge from his legal battles and societal fall from grace.