Pauline Hanson, Anne Aly work to bridge divide over lunch

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and Muslim MP Anne Aly have broken bread for the first time, discussing issues close to their hearts over a polite lunch in the MPs’ dining room.

There have been expectations of fireworks between the two since the election of Dr Aly, a counter-terrorism expert and Australia’s first female Muslim Federal MP, and Senator Hanson to Parliament in July.

Dr Aly migrated to Australia from Egypt as a young child and rejects Senator Hanson’s anti-Muslim policies, including a blanket ban on Muslim immigration.

Meanwhile, Senator Hanson has used polls showing almost half of voters want such a ban as evidence she is standing up for the “silent majority”.

But the pair managed to find some common ground yesterday, comparing their experiences as new MPs and exploring their shared interest in doing what they can to stop terrorism.

And they have organised to meet again soon to tackle Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.

Dr Aly said their “greatest point of disagreement” was whether terrorists carried out attacks in the letter of the law of Islam.

“She thinks that people who are carrying out terrorist attacks are carrying out the letter of the law of Islam,” Dr Aly said.

“When I speak, I say ‘they think they are, but that doesn’t mean that they are’.

“And I said to Pauline that I will not justify them by saying they are, and if you say they are and you agree with them, you are also justifying that they are.

“And I think that kind of nuance is probably the greatest point of difference.”

Dr Aly made the first move, extending a written invitation to Senator Hanson that explained her belief that “when two people share a meal, they share a bond”.

“You and I may come from different backgrounds and have different views on a number of issues, but first and foremost we are both here to serve the people of Australia,” the invitation read.

Senator Hanson said she it was a “great lunch”.

She said she believed they would be able to work together on some of the issues that had been raised.

Dr Aly said she arranged the meeting because she wanted to work out a way of having a respectful conversation about the issues in Parliament.

Reflecting on them reaching consensus on there being issues with Islamic leadership in the community, she said Senator Hanson was receptive to having a discussion and there were “kind of base points of agreement”.

“The disagreement comes when we start to build on those bases,” she said.

“So yes, we both agree that there are issues with Islamic leadership, but my understanding of issues and the ways that I feel those issues should be dealt with are very different to her understanding of them.”

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