First female Muslim senator slams Anning

The first female Muslim senator will be sworn in to federal parliament next week, and has struck out in response to a racist speech by a future colleague.

The Greens Mehreen Faruqi in the NSW Parliament.

Mehreen Faruqi, who will soon be a Greens senator, has has criticised Fraser Anning's recent speech. (AAP)

Australia's soon-to-be first female, Muslim senator says Fraser Anning has spat in the face of millions in his first speech to parliament.

The "hate and racism" in the former One Nation senator's speech calling for cuts to Muslim immigration won't stop Mehreen Faruqi, who will be sworn in next week.

"I'm a Muslim migrant, I'm about to be a senator and there's not a damn thing Fraser Anning can do about it," Ms Faruqi wrote in Junkee.

"I could stand on Bondi Beach, serving sausage sangers in an Akubra, draped in an Australian flag with a southern cross tattoo and, for some, I still wouldn't be Australian enough."

Ms Faruqi came to Australia from Pakistan in 1992.

She will fill the casual vacancy in the Senate created by the departure of NSW Greens senator Lee Rhiannon who is retiring months before her term expires.

As Senator Anning made his notorious remarks in the Senate on Tuesday, Ms Faruqi was giving a farewell speech in the NSW parliament.

She has served as a Greens MP in the NSW Legislative Council since 2013.

Ms Faruqi described Senator Anning's call for a plebiscite on Muslim immigration and use of the words 'final solution', a Nazi reference, as "cooked."

"It's easy for him to stand there, in a historically conservative chamber full of white, privileged men and praise the White Australia Policy while calling for a ban on Muslim migration," she said.

"Come Monday, he'll have to say it to my face."


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Source: AAP


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