Waleed Aly declared mass shootings like in Las Vegas ‘will happen again’ because the U.S. is ‘in denial’ about its gun laws.
But viewers accused The Project co-host of hypocrisy for consistently refusing to make the same link between Islam and terrorism.
Critics argued everything in his lengthy editorial on Tuesday night’s program could be applied to extremists of the Muslim faith he follows.
Waleed Aly declared mass shootings like in Las Vegas ‘will happen again’ because the U.S. is ‘in denial’ about its gun laws
Aly said mass shootings had become ‘familiar’ and ‘incredibly ordinary’ in the U.S. because it refused to tighten gun laws that saw firearm ownership double
‘Don’t you dare come at us about this subject when everything you said can and should be applied in exactly the same way to Islamic terror. You’re a hypocrite,’ Jewish activist Avi Yemini said.
‘Watch the video and change the words slightly to relate to Islamic terror and the Muslim community.’
Aly said mass shootings had become ‘familiar’ and ‘incredibly ordinary’ in the U.S. because it refused to tighten gun laws that saw firearm ownership double.
‘This will happen again, it always does and it’s always the same way,’ he said.
Critics like Jewish activist Avi Yemini argued everything in his lengthy editorial on Tuesday night’s program could be applied to extremists of the Muslim faith he personally follows
‘Yes Waleed. Terrorist attacks will happen again because of the teachings in our books,’ controversial Imam Mohammad Tawhidi wrote
But Mr Yemini said Aly would never make the same argument about Muslims and terrorism, or support laws to tackle it like President Trump’s travel ban.
‘Every single time there is an Islamic terror attack, Waleed is the biggest apologist for Islam. He justifies, he minimises,’ he said.
‘You’re an utter disgrace, you’re Australia’s biggest hypocrite and I can’t wait until your millions of fans realise what a slimy traitor you are.’
Mr Yemini wasn’t the only viewer to slam Aly’s alleged double standard, with others flocking to Twitter with similar arguments.
‘Yes Waleed. Terrorist attacks will happen again because of the teachings in our books,’ controversial Imam Mohammad Tawhidi wrote.
Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and injured 527 in America’s worst ever mass shooting in Las Vegas on Monday
Mr Yemini wasn’t the only viewer to slam Aly’s alleged double standard, with others flocking to Twitter with similar arguments
‘Exchange mass shootings for Islamic terrorism, and Waleed Aly is the one in denial,’ another declared.
‘#WaleedAly always dismisses Muslim terrorist attacks, always. Now he blames Trump for #LasVegasMassacre,’ a third wrote.
Other viewers commented on Aly’s consistent silence after terrorist attacks, and inability to even use the religion’s name when discussing the topic.
‘I’ve never heard Waleed Aly condemn any Muslim terror attacks or call on the Grand Mufti in Australia to condemn I.S. #hypocrisy,’ one wrote.
‘Waleed Aly has lot to say about Las Vegas shooter. But very silent when it comes to his brother Muslims who slaughter people everyday,’ another said.
Aly did confront the issue head-on in November 2015 when he argued ISIS was ‘weak’ in a fiery editorial on The Project.
‘This will happen again, it always does and it’s always the same way,’ Aly said of U.S. mass shootings
Aly has made a habit of not mentioning the religion of Islamist terrorists in his writing, even before he joined The Project
The four-minute rant, which was viewed 30 million times on the program’s Facebook, argued the terror organisation was trying to divide Muslims and non-Muslims to start World War 3.
He said ISIS frequently took responsibility for attacks that weren’t its own – as it did by falsely claiming Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock was a Muslim convert.
Made in the aftermath of a series of attacks in Paris that killed 137 people and wounded 368, he called for unity and said Islamaphobia was helping ISIS.
Since then, Aly only discussed terrorism when interviewing a witness to the Nice truck rampage last July, and sparring with Steve Price about links between refugees and terrorism.
The panel also briefly discussed August’s attack in Spain, but didn’t refer to the religion of the terrorists at any point.
Aly did confront the issue head-on in November 2015 when he argued ISIS was ‘weak’ in a fiery editorial on The Project in the aftermath of the Paris attacks
His Fairfax column discussed ISIS and terrorism, but usually from a geopolitical point of view where he wrote about the region’s deeper issues.
In June he wrote a lengthy opinion piece in the New York Times about lone wolf terrorism without ever mentioning Islam, even when discussing specific attacks.
Aly has made a habit of not mentioning the religion of Islamist terrorists in his writing, even before he joined The Project.
‘Our world is now one that is an increasingly polarised and polarising contest between new frontiers of cosmopolitism on the one hand and quite responsive and symbiotically related frontiers of atavism,’ he said on ABC radio last year.
But Aly was happy to mention it when discussing an attack on a London mosque last June in retaliation for three recent Islamist terrorist attacks in that city.
‘Call the Finsbury Park attack what it is: right-wing terrorism’ he wrote, in response to it being widely referred to as a ‘revenge attack’.
Paddock fired from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Hotel onto the Route 91 Harvest country music festival