There's a chance you may have never heard of Raheem Kassam, but he, like far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos and anti-abortion campaigner Troy Newman before him, is having his entry into Australia debated.
In the context of 'free speech versus hate speech', Labor want his visa blocked due to his "disgusting" views on Islam; while Liberals, who don't agree with points of view, don't want a reputation of a 'ban-happy' nation.
Who is Raheem Kassam?
Raised a Muslim in London, Kassam rejected Islam and became an atheist, citing the author and socialist Christopher Hitchens as the reason for his change-of-mind.
Kassam is perhaps more widely known in the UK.
The former editor-in-chief of the news and commentary site Breitbart News, which has been described as "the platform for the alt-right".
He was the senior advisor to Nigel Farage, Leader of the Brexit Party, and Kassam is now the global editor-in-chief of the conservative online publication Human Events, which among other things supported the Apartheid in South Africa.
In 2016, Kassam called for Britain to ban women from wearing the niqab, the most conservative dress for Islamic women which covers the face and is known for his strong, anti-Islamic views.
Why is he coming to Australia?
This week, the Conservative Political Action Conference will take place in Australia for the first time.
"This is a conference for those that despaired at the prospect of a Shorten government controlled by militant unions and influenced by the Greens," the website reads.
"Australia dodged a socialist arrow this time."
Kassam is one of the speakers invited to join a who's who of conservative personalities, such as former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Nigel Farage, and Fox News host Jeanine Pirro.
The problem many have with Kassam's rhetoric is that it's divisive at a time when we need to be unified.
Labor's Home Affairs spokesperson Kristina Keneally described Mr Kassam as a "career bigot", referencing several offensive tweets and called for him to be banned from Australia.
"Mr Kassam has an extensive history of vilifying people on the grounds of their race, religion, sexuality and gender," Senator Keneally told Parliament.
"He has described the Quran, the holy book of the Muslim faith, as fundamentally evil."
Liberal MPs, despite critical of Kassam's views, are cautious not to go down a slippery slope when it comes to the censorship of 'political incorrectness'.
"I was absolutely critical of what [Kassam] was quoted as saying, and I indeed find some of his comments objectionable and unacceptable,” Senator Cormann told Sky News on Friday.
“But I don’t think, as a country committed to freedom of speech, that we want to put ourselves in a position where we ban everyone and anyone on the basis of objectionable and offensive speech."
Do you think Kassam should be banned from Australia? Or is it a case of being open to all points of view, no matter how much we disagree with them?'
This piece was published on whimn.com.au on August 5, 2019.