In the days following the Cronulla Beach riots in December 2005, many young Lebanese Australians are outraged at what they perceive as an attack by wider Australia on their Australian identity, their culture and religion. When rumours spread of reprisals against the Lakemba Mosque thousands gather to protect the building, among them many people of non-Arabic or Muslim background. Lebanese Australian community leaders work closely with the NSW Government and police to crack down on the violence. The year after the Cronulla Riots, Jihad Dib becomes deputy principal of Punchbowl Boys' High School, a school once struggling in a suburb known for drug activity. By 2009 Jihad is principal and the school records some of the fastest growth rates in writing and numeracy in the nation, although real challenges remain.