It is understood that fellow television presenters from rival networks have been instructed to keep quiet in the wake of Sonia Kruger’s “extreme” comments made on Today Extra on Monday.
After the The Voice host shared her opinion to ban Muslim immigration due to terrorism concerns, it seemed that almost everyone had something to say.
However News.com.au reports that famous faces everywhere have been told that it would be “unwise” to do so.
“Ten told me not to say anything on it,” a well-known presenter said to the site.
Watch the original comments made by Sonia in the video player below. Post continues…
Despite the pressure from other networks to remain silent, one presenter wasn’t afraid to voice his opinion, and last night Gold Logie winner Waleed Aly addressed the issue on The Project with Australia watching on with bated breath.
“I could sit here and pull apart Sonia Kruger’s statement,” he began. “I could point out that Japan has had its share of terror attacks, or that the UN has attributed Japan’s low crime rate to low inequality and low gun ownership.
“I could point out that if Sonia is afraid, logically, as a woman in Australia, she has a much higher chance of being murdered by a man she knows, than a Muslim from another country.
“And I could do all of this with the best intentions, but really, all I’d be doing is encouraging the inertia of outrage.”
Watch Waleed’s powerful speech in the video player below. Post continues…
“I’d be fuelling the same cycle that has led to absolutely horrendous personal attacks on Sonia in the last 24 hours,” we went on.
“Sonia Kruger isn’t evil. She’s scared and she’s trying to make sense of the world. Yesterday, she admitted to not feeling safe. How do you think she feels now? And how do you expect her to react?”
The powerful segment was then concluded by the father-of-two presenting the world with a choice.
Either we react to the world’s fearful happenings and extreme opinions with destruction – a theme we’ve seen plenty of in the last 48 hours alone with the online backlash that followed Sonia’s comments, or we can take the harder path and react constructively.
The Voice AU host received an influx of online backlash.
“We can react emotionally, carelessly, and with little genuine critical thought, and we can destroy a perceived enemy in the hope that it will neutralise the threat that is making us feel unsafe,” he said. “This is the destructive choice.
“Or when we are presented with what we perceive as an outrageous opinion, we can consider what motivated that person, try to understand their fear, and empathise with how they came to their conclusion.
“The truth is, what motivates them, is fear. And fear is one thing we all share.”
Watch the moment Sonia addressed her “extreme” comments in the wake of her original comments. Post continues…
As a Muslim, the academic admitted his own fears. Not just for himself, but for his family and friends.
“I’m scared too. I’m afraid for this country. I’m terrified about what it’s doing to my friends and my family and honestly, I’m scared about where I belong.”
“But it’s how you deal with that fear. While it feels good to choose destruction, right now I think we need to try construction.”
Click here for the full story on Sonia’s original comments.
