I must admit that Senator Pauline Hanson surprised me this week. But not for the reasons you might think.

After years of hearing the senator speak about Muslims, Islam, mosques, immigration and national identity, I never imagined I would see the day when she would stand up and quote from a book. Yet in her latest remarks, she drew on British writer Ed Husain and his memoir, The Islamist, citing his account of joining – and later leaving – Hizb ut-Tahrir in Britain as evidence for her concerns about Islam in Australia.

As a Muslim, I could not help but think of the very first words revealed in the Holy Qur’an to the prophet Muhammad: “Read, in the name of your Lord who created.”

The first command in Islam was not fight, conquer or dominate. It was simply: read.

If Hanson has developed an interest in books and learning, then I find myself in the unusual position of wanting to encourage it. I would be more than happy to recommend a reading list on Islam, Muslim history and Muslim Australians. Indeed, I have curated such a reading list on my website.

Because if there is one thing the current debate desperately needs, it is not more slogans: it is more reading.

Perhaps more surprisingly, I also find myself in agreement with Hanson on another point.

She often says we should deal with the facts. On that point, at least, we agree.

The difficulty........

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