WALEED Aly has unleashed on Australia’s politicians and Muslim leaders who have preached “hate” in the wake of the Paris attacks saying their actions actually help Islamic State rather than defeat them. The Project co-host used his regular ‘Something we should talk about’ segment to not only call for solidarity following the atrocity, which left 132 people dead and hundreds more injured, but to highlight what he says is the truth about the militant organisation — that they’re weak.
“There is a reason ISIL still want to appear so powerful, why they don’t want to acknowledge that the land they control has been taken from weak enemies, that they are pinned down by air strikes or that just last weekend they lost a significant part of their territory,” he said on The Project.
“ISIL don’t want you to know they would quickly be crushed if they ever faced a proper Army on a battlefield.
“They want you to fear them. They want you to get angry. They want all of us to become hostile and here is why:
“ISIL’s strategy is to split the world into two camps. It is that black and white. Again we know this because they told us.”
Ally said ISIL wanted to create World War III, and for societies around the world to turn on each other, and for countries like Australia to vilify Muslims.
He said this “evil organisation” believes if they can make Muslims the enemy of the West, then Muslims in France and England and America and here in Australia will have nowhere to turn but to ISIL.
“That was exactly their strategy in Iraq,” he said. “And now they want it to go global.
“Saying that out loud, it is both dumbfounding in its stupidity and bloodcurdling in its barbarity. “We are all feeling a million raging emotions right now. I am angry at these terrorists. I am sickened by the violence and I am crushed for the families that have been left behind, but, you know what, I will not be manipulated.
“We all need to come together. I know how that sounds. I know it is a cliche, but it is also true because it is exactly what ISIL doesn’t want.
“So, if you are a member of Parliament or a has-been member of Parliament preaching hate at a time when what we actually need is more love — you are helping ISIL. They have told us that. If you are a Muslim leader telling your community they have no place here or basically them saying the same thing — you are helping ISIL.
“They have told us that. If you are just someone with a Facebook or Twitter account firing off misguided messages of hate, you are helping ISIL — They have told us that.
“I am pretty sure that right now none of us wants to help these b*stards.”
Aly’s speech was welcomed on social media with many applauding the TV presenter for his measured remarks.