Pauline Hanson’s Anti-Muslim Comments Draw Widespread Criticism

Following intense criticism for her anti-Muslim remarks earlier this week, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has partially apologized.

In an interview with Sky News on Monday, Hanson stated that there were, in her words, “no good Muslims” and cautioned that allowing more Muslims to enter Australia would have a negative impact on future generations.

Islamic religious organizations, local authorities, and politicians from the Labor Party and the Coalition quickly denounced the remarks, calling them offensive and divisive.

Pauline Hanson partially retracted her statement in a later interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, stating that she does not sincerely think there are “no good Muslims.”

“No, I don’t really think that because I was represented by one woman. “She wasn’t a practicing Muslim, but she was a Muslim,” Pauline Hanson stated. “I apologize for any offense I may have caused to those who do not support Sharia law, multiple marriages, or the idea of bringing in Isis brides, or to those from Gaza who support the caliphate and all of that.”

The senator did not, however, offer a complete apology and restated more general worries about immigration and national identity.