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Vikki Campion: A Muslim party headed by Fatima Payman would be a huge step backwards

Labor turncoat Fatima Payman hasn’t ruled out the possibility of harnessing the Muslim voting bloc or creating a new party, but religion has no place in modern politics, writes Vikki Campion.

‘Guided by Allah’: Senator Payman’s colleagues claim decisions on Palestine ‘guided by God’

How would any new political party harnessing the Muslim vote with Senator Fatima Payman at the helm actually work?

Now that Senator Payman has taken a stand — not for WA, who has been betrayed on the live sheep export ban, but for Palestine — and has not ruled out playing with an idea to harness the Muslim voting bloc in the eastern states, it raises more questions about her priorities for Australia than it answers.

Islam bans interest lending, so what will happen to our banks, our financial sector and energy developments which are reliant on billions in loans?

Will Climate-200 funded Senator David Pocock and the Greens refuse financing of wind farms? Of course not.

Senator Payman hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a new party so how would a religion-based party work with the Greens who believe in forcing religious schools to support children to change gender — when males initiating female behaviour and appearance is not allowed in Islam? In Islam you’re either male or female, and have rules to follow. Being born male and undergoing hormone therapy, is considered disobedience to Allah.

Senator Fatima Payman announces she is leaving the Labor Party. Picture: Martin Ollman
Senator Fatima Payman announces she is leaving the Labor Party. Picture: Martin Ollman

What would Senator Payman’s positions be on crucial issues such as female genital mutilation, child brides, honour killings, and the treatment of murdered homosexuals in Gaza?

And how would that fly with independent senators Jacqui Lambie, Tammy Tyrrell, David Van or gay Senators Louise Pratt, Nita Green or Dean Smith?

Good luck getting any change.

And what is the counter-effect of a Muslim vote? A Jewish party? A Protestant party? It’s a backwards jump to 1952.

Senator Payman said she thought Labor would back a Palestinian State, as determined by the rank and file at its conference in 2021.

It is a bolshie move to believe that with two years of Senate experience, you know more about the Labor Party constitution and the interpretation of the 2021 National Platform than it’s own legal team.

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Vikki Campion
Vikki CampionColumnist

Vikki Campion was a reporter between 2002 and 2014 - leaving the media industry for politics, where she has worked since. She writes a weekly column for The Saturday Telegraph.

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/vikki-campion-a-muslim-party-headed-by-fatima-payman-would-be-a-huge-step-backwards/news-story/db172d9e3e62812bc5df009ba55c1959