Palmer United Party Senator Jacqui Lambie has struggled to explain her understanding of sharia law, as she reiterated her controversial calls for believers in the Islamic framework to leave Australia.
The Tasmanian Senator told ABC TV’s Insiders program she stood by her statement earlier this week that supporters of sharia law should “pack their bags and get out of here”. However, asked by host Barrie Cassidy to explain what she understood the concept to mean, Senator Lambie paused and appeared to stumble over her words.
“Well I think, um, when it comes to sharia law, um, you know, to me, it’s um, it’s uh, it obviously involves terrorism, it involves a power um that’s not a healthy power,” she said. “I just think sharia law you get it mixed up … if you’re going to be a supporter of sharia law, and you’re not going to support our constitution and an allegiance to our constitution and Australian law, then um …”
Cassidy told Senator Lambie that sharia law was a religious framework and for her to be demanding sharia law followers leave Australia, she’d be asking Muslims to denounce their faith to stay. “That’s what I’m saying, if you’re an extremist to sharia law, you’ve got no place in Australia,” Senator Lambie said.
She denied having a problem with Muslims. She repeated her call for the burka to be banned for “national security” reasons.