Clive Palmer says Australians need to remain united after Jacqui Lambie's 'train wreck' interview

Updated

Clive Palmer has hit back at senator Jacqui Lambie over her latest comments on the burka and sharia law.

In an interview on the ABC's Insiders program yesterday, Senator Lambie was unable to explain sharia law and said it involved terrorism.

"Well I think when it comes to sharia law, to me ... it obviously involves terrorism ... involves a power that's not a healthy power," she said.

Some commentators described the interview as a "train wreck", ABC political reporter Andrew Greene said, while others likened Senator Lambie to former One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who famously responded "please explain" when asked if she was xenophobic.

In a statement posted to Twitter, Mr Palmer said Australians need to remain united.

"Australians need to remain united, we are a rich & diverse nation who enjoy a special country," he said.

"Challenge is dealing w/budget & measures that attack the fabric of society. We must think about who & what we are & where we want to go.

What is sharia law?

The Koran, the holy book of Islam, uses the term sharia to refer to the revealed guidance and directives given by Allah. Sharia is not just a set of laws, but rather an ideology that encompasses the Islamic way of life, covering topics from business transactions to food.



Find out more about what sharia involves here.

"We have strong obligations towards each other. We have lots in common, we love our families, freedom & our efforts to help each other," he tweeted.

During her Insiders interview, Senator Lambie also used the recent debate around national security to call for a ban on burkas, saying anyone who supports Islamic Law should leave Australia.

She said under the Constitution, Australian citizens must only support Australian laws.

"There is an issue right now. I want to see their full allegiance, not 50 per cent, to the Australian Constitution and Australian law. It is one law for all. That is the Australian law full stop," she said.

The interview came after Senator Lambie posted a photo to her Facebook page of an Afghan policewoman shooting a gun while wearing a burka with a caption calling for the garment to be banned.

The policewoman, Malalai Kakar, was Afghanistan's first female police officer and was well known for her stance on women's rights. She was gunned down in her car by the Taliban in 2008.

The post was widely criticised, including by the photographer who took the image in Afghanistan, Lana Slezic, who labelled it appalling and insulting.

"I'm shocked... I cannot believe how Malalai's image has been really desecrated on Jacqui Lambie's Facebook page," she said.

"It's a misappropriation of Malalai Kakar's identity of her family. It's an insult to her family and her children and I'm appalled by the way it's been used really."

When asked if she understood the background of the person in the photograph Senator Lambie said: "Absolutely. I already knew that before I posted that but the journalist jumped straight on my throat, went straight for my jugular and took it completely out of context."

Earlier, the Palmer United Party senator said the Afghan policewoman "would have been the first to agree" with her call to ban the burka.

Topics: government-and-politics, islam, political-parties, australia

First posted