A One Nation senator is writing to school principals warning them their children risk turning into “terror-endorsing Islamists” whose religion compels them to kill westerners.

The letters – sent on Senate letterhead with no mention of One Nation – have drawn immediate condemnation for inciting hatred, creating division and undermining the work of counter-terrorism and deradicalisation programs.

A leading security and intelligence expert, John Blaxland, has warned it simply plays into the hands of terrorist groups such as Islamic State.



“This is exactly what Daesh and Isis want to happen,” Blaxland said. “This is feeding into what they are doing, which is getting a vicious feedback loop happening.

“It’s reinforcing the message that ‘what you need to do is join the caliphate and strike back against the infidels who are treating you like crap. And look at this [letter], this is evidence of that’.”

One Nation senator Brian Burston sent the letters to schools this week, attaching a brochure titled Islam Exposed.

The letter begins “Dear principal”, before warning: “One of the most important issues affecting our nation today is the radicalisation of teenagers. Many school children are becoming radicalised into terror-endorsing Islamists.”

He says the government’s deradicalisation programs fail to understand that Islam commands its followers to “kill non-Muslims as their ticket into paradise”.

The letters came to the attention of Greens New South Wales MP Mehreen Faruqi, who recently won a preselection battle for the Senate at the next federal election.



Faruqi said the letter painted a wildly inaccurate picture of Islam, which would be “almost comical if it wasn’t so dangerous”.

“Most people would be horrified to know that their taxpayer money was being used to target one particular religious community, and spreading hatred, bigotry and fear of Muslims,” she said.



“What is even more revolting is that One Nation are targeting primary schools with this rubbish. They really have hit a new low.”



This week, the United Nations committee on the elimination of racial discrimination raised concern about racism and Islamophobia in Australia, which was rising in “some quarters”. Islamophobia, it said, was in part fuelled by hate speech and some counter-terrorism measures.

One Nation found itself facing similar criticism earlier this year, when Pauline Hanson entered the Senate dressed in a burqa.

It drew a strong rebuke from the attorney general, George Brandis, who described her actions as “appalling”.

Burston did not respond to Guardian Australia’s requests for comment.



