Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja laid into Opposition Leader Peter Dutton over “disgraceful” comments about Muslim election candidates.

The Test cricket opener took to social media on Thursday after Dutton’s comments about potential Muslim candidates in Western Sydney electorates following the defection of Senator Fatima Payman from Labor.

Dutton said Labor was likely to have to form a minority government if it won the next election.

“The Prime Minister, if he’s in a minority government in the next term of parliament, it will include the Greens, it’ll include green teals, it’ll include Muslim candidates from Western Sydney. It will be a disaster,” he said.

“If you think the Albanese government is bad now, wait for it to be a minority government with the Greens, the green teals and Muslim independents.

“That is not the formula for bringing grocery prices down and for getting our economy back on track.”

Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan and raised in Sydney – and became the first Muslim to play cricket for Australia – hit back.

“As a Muslim who grew up in Western Sydney I find this comment from someone who is running for PM an absolute disgrace,” he posted on X.

“Bigotry at its finest. Fueling Islamophobia from the very top.”

“It will included Muslim candidates from Western Sydney, it will be a disaster”. As a Muslim who grew up in Western Sydney I find this comment from someone who is running for PM an absolute disgrace. Bigotry at its finest. Fueling Islamophobia from the very top. https://t.co/AyMSYGb57R

— Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) July 4, 2024

There was backing for Khawaja from Education Minister Jason Clare on Friday. Clare, whose seat of Blaxland is in western Sydney, reshared Dutton’s quotes with Khawaja’s post and said the Opposition Leader was “unfit to be prime minister”.

“Every time he has the chance, he tries to divide Australians by race or religion or the colour of his skin,” he told Seven’s Sunrise.

The comments follow accusations a Muslim political group is planning to capitalise on community anger at the Albanese government’s Gaza stance and is weighing up candidates to endorse in  Labor-held seats in Western Sydney.

Payman has admitted meeting the group, The Muslim Vote, but has denied any political play – despite repeated accusations from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and elsewhere within Labor.

“It’s unfortunate that the stereotyping is so deep-rooted in, perhaps this institution [politics], but also in our media structures,” she said.

“They’re quick to assume that just because I’ve met with a Muslim group … that now I’m going to go off and form a Muslim party.

“I’ve also met with the Jewish Council of Australia, I’ve met with Christian groups … but the fact that you would only hone in on that, it’s very disappointing in today’s day and age.

“I mean, they wouldn’t ask that question of a middle-aged Anglo-Saxon man who chooses to leave.”

David Pocock and Fatima Payman together in the Senate. Photo: AAP

Citizenship questions ‘grubby’

Elsewhere, independent senator David Pocock has called out the “grubby politics” of Labour backgrounding against Payman’s citizenship.

“Senior Labor figures” quoted in The Australian raised concerns about Payman’s Afghan citizenship, following her announcement on Thursday that she was quitting the party and moving to the crossbench.

Payman declared her citizenship before the election and was supported by Labor as a candidate.

She has declared she made representations to renounce but couldn’t go further because of the Taliban government. She said she had legal advice affirming that she was eligible to contest as a candidate due to the “impossibility” of progressing her application.

Pocock – who also had to deal with dual citizenship issues before running – called out the reports on Friday.

“Raising questions about her eligibility under section 44 by people from the same party who took responsibility for ensuring the eligibility of her candidacy and now are too cowardly to put their name to the allegations is such grubby politics,” he said.

“I hope people will see this backgrounding and smear campaign for what it is.”

Constitutional lawyer Anne Twomey said it was unlikely the case would make it to the High Court as the 40-day challenge period had expired and it was up to the Senate to refer the case.

“The Labor Party would have some difficulty doing that as they took the view when they endorsed her as a candidate so they would have to reverse that,” she said.

But if it did, there was some uncertainty about how the court would rule given uncertainty about the situation in Afghanistan, she said.

Asked about the issue on Friday, Albanese said Payman’s citizenship was a matter for her.

But he put pressure on her to hand back her Senate seat, saying voters wanted to elect a Labor government as he pointed to her 1600 below-the-line votes.

-with AAP