Image: Screenshot / The Project

The Project’s Waleed Aly has warned that racing to condemn Muslims plays into the hands of Islamic State (ISIL) during a passionate address in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks.

Speaking on the Channel 10 current affairs show on Monday night, the former lawyer and commentator argued that ISIL is weak but trying to hide it by claiming responsibility for every act of violence.

“This is what ISIL do – they take credit for any act of terrorism on Western soil so they appear bigger and tougher than they actually are,” Aly says.

ISIL wants to be feared and make people angry, Aly argues, in order to start World War III as a battle between Muslims and the rest of the world.

“They want societies like France and here in Australia to turn on each other. They want countries like our to reject their Muslims and vilify them,” he explains.

“They want all of us to become hostile.”

Aly was pointed about commentators like former MP Pauline Hanson, who, he argues, is doing the work of terrorists with comments against Islam, detailing ISIL’s strategy by citing its own monthly magazine.

“We know this, because they told us,” Aly says, reading from ISIL’s newsletters.

They want to “split the world into two camps”.

His monologue, cowritten by The Project’s supervising producer, Tom Whitty concludes:

This evil organisation has it in their heads that if they can make Muslims the enemy of the West, then Muslims in France, England, America and here in Australia will have nowhere to turn, but to ISIL. That was exactly their strategy in Iraq and now they want it to go global. Saying that out loud: it’s both dumbfounding in its stupidity and bloodcurdling in its barbarity. We’re all feeling a million raging emotions right now. I’m angry at these terrorists. I’m sickened by the violence. I’m crushed for the families that have been left behind. But you know what? I won’t be manipulated. We all need to come together. I know how that sounds. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s also true, because it’s exactly what ISIL doesn’t want. If you are a member of parliament -or has-been member of parliament – preaching hate at a time when what we actually need is more love, you’re helping ISIL. They have told us that. If you’re a Muslim leader telling your community they have no place here, or a non-Muslim basically saying the same thing, you’re helping ISIL. They have told us that. But if you’re just someone with a Facebook or Twitter account firing off misguided missives of hate, you’re just helping ISIL. They’ve told us that. And I’m pretty sure that right now, none of us wants to help these bastards.

You can watch Waleed Aly’s commentary below:

Waleed talks about how we can stop ISIL #TheProjectTV Written by Waleed & @twhittyer https://t.co/tX6mRNXZK1 — #TheProjectTV (@theprojecttv) November 16, 2015

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