Australian election: Anti-immigration candidate Stephanie Banister calls Islam a country

Stephanie Banister could be Australia’s answer to Sarah Palin.

Banister, who is contesting the Queensland seat of Rankin for the anti-immigration party One Nation, has drawn unkind comparisons with former US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin over her excruciating-to-watch gaffes.

The Australian election candidate referred to Islam as a country and claimed Jews followed the teachings of Jesus Christ during an embarrassing interview broadcast on Channel 7 on Wednesday.

“I don’t oppose Islam as a country but I do feel their laws should not be welcome here in Australia,” Banister said during the one-on-one interview in her backyard.

She also confused the Koran and halal food with “haram.”

This howler came later in the interview: “Jews aren’t under haram. They have their own religion which follows Jesus Christ,” Banister said, explaining the reason she opposes halal food — which she also referred to as haram — and not kosher food.

Her performance was cringe-worthy and for some Twitter users, downright frightening. 

But the 27-year-old mother-of-two may have bigger problems than the huge gaps in her knowledge of Islam and Judaism.

She is facing criminal charges after allegedly plastering anti-Muslim stickers on Nestle products in a Brisbane supermarket saying “halal food funds terrorism.”

If convicted, Banister will be disqualified from the Sept. 7 election against … well, she doesn’t actually know the names of the candidates she is running against.