The face of a new Islamist group trying to oust Labor MPs from marginal seats in Muslim areas over their position on Gaza has branded Australia a “racist” country.
Ghaith Krayem, the controversial spokesperson for Muslim Votes Matter (MVM), a political campaign group aiming to mobilize the Islamic vote in the upcoming federal election, has claimed Australia is “built on racism and remains racist today”.
The comments were made in a social media video Krayem recorded in response to ABC star Laura Tingle’s claim that Australia is a “racist country”.
“We’re a racist country, let’s face it,” Tingle said at the Sydney Writers Festival in May.
“We always have been and it’s very depressing.”
Tingle’s comments sparked outrage with many rushing to her defense while others called for the national broadcaster to be defunded.
Krayem said the ABC star’s comments had “triggered the poor sensibilities of the white exceptionalist establishment”, before launching into a staunch defense of his claim.
‘She is absolutely right. “This country is racist,” Krayem told his followers on social media.
Ghaith Krayem, the controversial spokesperson for Muslim Votes Matter (MVM), a political campaign group aiming to mobilize the Islamic vote in the upcoming federal election, has claimed that Australia is “built on racism and remains racist today” .
‘Its entire origin as a modern state is based on racism and remains racist today.
“But Dutton and his ilk and his cronies would conveniently make us forget the genocide this country committed against our First Nations.”
He added: ‘The treatment of our First Nations is still steeped in racism.
‘But that racism now extends to others with vigor. The answer to any question related to Islam, Muslims and now Palestine… It is not even hidden racism anymore. It’s open and loud.
Daily Mail Australia asked Mr Krayem if he stood by his comments.
Krayem has previously accused the Labor Party of taking the Muslim vote for granted.
“We’re a racist country, let’s face it,” ABC reporter Laura Tingle (pictured) said at the Sydney Writers Festival in May.
MVM is a new political group campaigning on a pro-Gaza platform to target parliamentarians in 32 marginal electorates with large Muslim populations.
He will not field any candidates, but instead seeks to encourage Muslim voters to vote tactically to unseat those parliamentarians who have not called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Krayem has previously accused the Labor Party of taking the Muslim vote for granted.
“It has always been assumed that our community will vote Labour, and we will show in this election that that will change,” Krayem said last month.
‘The message is the same for both parties. “We have to stop assuming that the community will vote a certain way,” he said.
“That’s why the Coalition doesn’t engage with our community because they feel we’ll always vote Labour, and Labor have taken us for granted because we’re supposed to always vote Labour.”
Almost of the 32 marginal seats identified by MVM are currently occupied by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party.
Education Minister Jason Clare’s seat in Blaxland and Home Secretary Tony Burke top the list.
Labor politicians are right to be worried. In the July UK election, Keir Starmer’s Labor Party won a seismic majority, but still lost four seats to independent candidates espousing a pro-Palestinian platform (pictured: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese).
Labor politicians are right to be worried.
In the July UK election, Keir Starmer’s Labor Party won a seismic majority but still lost four seats to independent candidates espousing a pro-Palestine platform.
Krayem, former head of the Islamic Council of Victoria and former chief executive of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, now runs a “boutique consulting practice” called Hikmah Consulting.
In August, The nocturnal reported that he had previously been excluded from the list of lawyers after an Administrative Decisions Tribunal found him guilty of a series of “very serious” professional misconduct.