Classic Miranda, 2011: “Bernardi has been the most vocal opponent in parliament of what he sees as “soft sharia”, the thin end of the wedge, a well-documented strategy employed in other democratic countries to eventually bring in a parallel Islamic justice system - which would weaken our rule of law and treat women as second-class citizens. “In other nations we’ve found that an accommodation of sharia finance leads into an accommodation of any number of other areas where sharia is implemented, such as in property disputes, such as in marital separations,” he said. He was pilloried as a “racist” and a “bigot” when he raised his concerns last year, not just by the Greens and Labor but also by “moderate” Liberal MPs. Independent Andrew Wilkie called him “ a disgrace to the high office you hold”.

Classic Miranda, 2006: Stenhouse says the Department of Immigration does not see the organisation as an extremist group, even though its aim is to convert the host country to Sharia law. But he points out: “If the Egyptian Government and the Syrians - not noted for squeamishness in dealing with militant opposition - fear the Muslim Brothers then Australia would be foolish to think it knows better.