Australian election candidate Stephanie Banister, who was widely mocked after she mistook Islam for a country in a TV interview, has withdrawn her candidacy.
Stephanie Banister, 27, was contesting a seat in Queensland for the anti-immigration One Nation Party. She had only been in politics for 48 hours.
She also confused the term “haram” (forbidden) with the Koran and suggested Jews worshipped Jesus Christ.
The interview, which aired early this week, went viral on social media.
Stephanie Banister, who was widely mocked after she mistook Islam for a country in a TV interview, has withdrawn her candidacy
”I don’t oppose Islam as a country, umm, but I do feel that their laws should not be welcome here in Australia,” Stephanie Banister told Seven News reporter Erin Edwards.
She announced her withdrawal from the election on Saturday.
“With the way Channel Seven edited my interview, I was left quite the fool,” Stephanie Banister said in a brief statement.
“I’d like to apologise to One Nation, to my friends and family, for any embarrassment this has brought to them.”
One newspaper headline said Stephanie Banister had managed to put Islam literally on the map.
The leader of One Nation, Jim Savage, said Stephanie Banister continued to have the “full support” of the party executive.
He said she had been under “enormous pressure”, including threats to her and her family.
Commentators compared Stephanie Banister to Sarah Palin, the gaffe-prone Republican vice-presidential candidate in the 2008 US election.
Even before this interview, Stephanie Banister was regarded as a rank outsider to win her seatey.
The mother-of-two rose to prominence when she was arrested for going into a supermarket and putting stickers saying “halal food funds terrorism” on Nestle products.
Stephanie Banister is facing charges of “contaminating or interfering with goods”.
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Australian election candidate Stephanie Banister has made the wrong kind of headlines after a gaffe-strewn interview in which she mistook Islam for a country.
Stephanie Banister, 27, a candidate with the anti-immigration One Nation Party, clocked up multiple mistakes in a TV interview with Channel 7 News.
She also confused the term “haram” (forbidden) with the Koran and suggested Jews worship Jesus Christ.
The interview, which aired early this week, has gone viral on social media.
”I don’t oppose Islam as a country, umm, but I do feel that their laws should not be welcome here in Australia,” Stephanie Banister told Seven News reporter Erin Edwards.
Stephanie Banister, who is standing for the parliamentary seat of Rankin in Brisbane, also claimed that 2% of Australians ”follow haram” when presumably she meant the Islamic text, the Koran.
Haram is a Muslim term used for something that is forbidden or punishable.
Stephanie Banister has made the wrong kind of headlines after a gaffe-strewn interview in which she mistook Islam for a country
Stephanie Banister then repeatedly used the word “haram” when she apparently meant to say “halal”.
“Halal” in fact means the opposite and is commonly used to refer to the Islamic laws on food preparation.
When subsequently asked if she opposed the Jewish laws of kosher as well, Stephanie Banister replied: “Jews aren’t under haram. They have their own religion which follows Jesus Christ.”
During the interview Stephanie Banister was also asked to name the candidates from the two mainstream parties in her seat, but came up short and admitted: “I’m still learning all of the names of people in politics.”
Some commentators in Australia are making comparisons with the former US Vice-Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin, who became infamous for her media slip-ups when running for office in 2008.
Even before this interview Stephanie Banister was regarded as a rank outsider to win her seat.
The mother-of-two rose to prominence when she was arrested for going into a supermarket and putting stickers saying “halal food funds terrorism” on Nestle products.
She was charged with “contaminating or interfering with goods”.
Stephanie Banister will be forbidden from standing in the September 7 election if she is convicted before polling day.
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