SUNRISE stand-in host Andrew O’Keefe went head-to-head with Herald Sun columnist Rita Panahi live on air Monday morning.

Debating on the topic of Islamic extremists following her opinion piece titled Stifling debate empowers radicals, Panahi was cut off by the co-host as the pair exchanged a bitter war of words on the hot topic.

“We need to start discussing intelligently the issues we have with the Muslim community,” Panahi said.

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“What can we do in the Muslim community to bring them into the mainstream even more.”

O’Keefe cut the writer off: “But we’ve already been discussing this! We’ve been discussing this for a long time Rita.”

media_camera Herald Sun columnist Rita Panahi media_camera Andrew O’Keefe this morning.

“Every time a fundamentalist Christian in the United States bombs an abortion clinic or bombs a synagogue do we hold all the Christians in the world accountable for that?”

Panahi responded: “Andrew that’s such a nonsensical argument.”

O’Keefe rebutted her statement as Radio 4BC’s Patrick Condren was awkwardly waiting for his input.

“No it’s not Rita. You’re holding the majority responsible for a minority,” O’Keefe said.

But Panahi didn’t back down.

“We’ve got to stop doing what you just did and pretending like Islam is like any other religion as far as being behind incidences of terror.”

media_camera Andrew O'Keefe.

Condren then weighed in on the debate suggesting he was on O’Keefe’s side of the argument before discussing the Muslim burqa.

“Who wouldn’t find the burqa confronting?” Panahi interrupted.

“You don’t find a woman with her entire face other than her eyes concealed, confronting?”

Condren continued: “I don’t find it confronting in any way, shape or form.”

“I’m not that narrow-minded.”

Panahi responded: “I don’t find that narrow-minded at all. In fact if you value the rights of women you’d have issues with the burqa.”

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