The Australian highlights offensive Facebook posts but ABC says audience member who asked Pauline Hanson a question about Islamophobia was cleared by police

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Q&A has defended allowing a Muslim engineer in its audience to ask Pauline Hanson a question after a front-page story in the Australian newspaper claimed he had not been properly screened.

Khaled Elomar was cleared by police and the program’s producers before being allowed to ask Hanson about Islamophobia, the ABC has said.

The News Corp broadsheet highlighted offensive posts on Elomar’s Facebook account and raised questions about the extent to which Q&A vets its audience members.

On Monday’s Q&A, Elomar had challenged Hanson on her policies towards Muslims and the religion of Islam, which include a ban on all Muslim immigration to Australia.

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On Facebook Elomar has mocked the One Nation senator, calling her “Sheikha Pauline Hanson” and depicting her wearing a hijab. One post tells Hanson to “Go Upper Cut Yourself”.

The Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie is also targeted by Elomar and referred to on Facebook as “ugly”, stupid” and “a deformed creature”.

Other posts on Elomar’s Facebook account includes criticisms of “Zionist Israel” as well as capitalism. One post said: “The Zionists and capitalists of the world ‘Go fuck yourself’ ... We want peace motherfuckers.”

Another post said: “The world is waking up to the crimes of Zionism/Capitalism. The world is extremely cognisant of the bias and flawed western foreign policies. Islam has a vast international supportive audience.”

But the ABC has backed its audience screening processes, saying there was nothing “out of the ordinary about his appearance on the program”.

“As usual, the audience members were checked as much as is practicable on social media by the audience producers. And as usual, the audience list was referred to the AFP and the NSW police. There were no security incidents and all audience members were well behaved and held a respectful discussion.

“People with strong, differing and often contentious views appear on Q&A, in the audience and on the panel – that is how the program is designed. Q&A provides a safe place to talk in a constructive way about vitally important issues that often inflame people’s passions.”

Elomar, who is an engineer by trade and works at the Caltex refinery in Kurnell, told Guardian Australia on Friday morning that he stood by his posts on Facebook, and that he believed he had been targeted by the Australian for speaking out on Q&A.

“I don’t shy away from what I wrote. I don’t shy away from my strong convictions,” he said. “We live in a democratic society, and I thought it was one that preaches doing what you want to do anything as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.”

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The ABC also rejected claims by Hanson in the Australian that she was “set up” because the program spent too long discussing Islam.

“Less than 40 minutes of the program was spent discussing Islam, which was a relevant topic given Ms Hanson’s election, Sonia Kruger’s comments of that morning and the tragedy in Nice,” the ABC said in a statement.

“On Monday night the audience had that constructive conversation, and as a result about one million Australians gained better insight into what our new senators are thinking, with thousands engaging in the discussion on social media.”

After his appearance on Q&A, Elomar told Guardian Australia that he had recently begun to be attacked as a “Muslim pig” on the streets of Cronulla where he had lived peacefully for many years. He said his son was proud of him for his question to Hanson.