Rita Panahi (born 3 March 1976) is an American-born Australian
right-wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...
opinion columnist.
She works for ''
The Herald and Weekly Times
The Herald and Weekly Times Pty Ltd (HWT) is a newspaper publishing company based in Melbourne, Australia. It is owned and operated by News Pty Ltd, which as News Ltd, purchased the HWT in 1987.
Newspapers
The HWT's newspaper interests date ba ...
(HWT)'', a subsidiary of
News Corp Australia
News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of the American News Corp. One of Australia's largest media conglomerates, News Corp Australia employs more than 8,000 staff nationwide and approximately 3,00 ...
and is the host of ''The Rita Panahi Show'' and ''
The Friday Show
''The Friday Show'' is an Australian television news and commentary program broadcast weekly on Sky News Australia, hosted by Rita Panahi. The show was a replacement of axed format ''Keneally and Cameron'', and as such debuted without promotion ...
'' on
Sky News Australia
Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...
and is a contributor to ''
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects.
Terminology
Al ...
'' on the
Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
. She is on the radio at
3AW
3AW is a talkback radio station based in Melbourne. It broadcasts on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station.
The station is owned and operated by Nine Entertainment Co.
Hist ...
and
2GB
2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia owned by parent company Nine Radio, a division of Nine Entertainment Co., who also own sister station 2UE.
2GB broadcasts on 873 kHz, AM.
In 2010, 2GB held 14.7% of the total rad ...
.
Early life and education
Rita Panahi was born in
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the eleventh-largest city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff Combin ...
, United States, the child of Iranian parents. Her mother was a midwife and her father was an agricultural engineer. The family returned to Iran during her infancy, living on the coast and moving to
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
by 1979. Her mother worked for a hospital associated with the Shah during the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
.
Panahi described her parents as "relaxed Muslims who were not particularly political". However, her family was targeted by the Shia Islamist government of the
Ayatollah Khomeini
Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...
. In 1984, they were accepted by Australia as refugees and lived in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
.
Panahi worked in banking while attending
Monash University
Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...
, studying but not completing a Bachelor of Business Finance. She joined
Australian Young Labor and volunteered in the
1996 election campaign. Panahi worked as a personal banker at
Colonial Mutual
The Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society Limited, later Colonial Limited, and commonly known as Colonial Mutual, Colonial Mutual Life, and/or CML, was a diverse international financial services company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. ...
and was the youngest branch manager in the company's history.
She has a child with an undisclosed father and was a single parent as of 2016.
Media career
Panahi initially wrote for the daily free commuter newspaper ''
mX'', writing a weekly sports gossip column. Her column was picked up for a second year and by 2007 she was a regular guest on the AM sports radio station
SEN. She earned her
MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
from
Swinburne
Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He wrote several novels and collections of poetry such as ''Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition ...
. In September 2007, Panahi began working for the ''Herald Sun'', published by the Herald and Weekly Times (HWT), a subsidiary of
News Corp Australia
News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of the American News Corp. One of Australia's largest media conglomerates, News Corp Australia employs more than 8,000 staff nationwide and approximately 3,00 ...
.
Panahi is also a regular guest on
Sky News Australia
Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...
and ''
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects.
Terminology
Al ...
'' on the Seven Network. She is also a radio commentator on
3AW
3AW is a talkback radio station based in Melbourne. It broadcasts on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station.
The station is owned and operated by Nine Entertainment Co.
Hist ...
and
2GB
2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia owned by parent company Nine Radio, a division of Nine Entertainment Co., who also own sister station 2UE.
2GB broadcasts on 873 kHz, AM.
In 2010, 2GB held 14.7% of the total rad ...
.
In March 2018, Panahi began hosting ''
The Friday Show
''The Friday Show'' is an Australian television news and commentary program broadcast weekly on Sky News Australia, hosted by Rita Panahi. The show was a replacement of axed format ''Keneally and Cameron'', and as such debuted without promotion ...
'' on
Sky News Live.
Views
Panahi is described as a conservative. She is a former Muslim and is critical of aspects of Islam. Panahi has accused what she regards as the
regressive left
The regressive left (also called regressive liberals or regressive leftists) is a term for a branch of left-wing politics that is accused of being accepting of or sympathetic to views that conflict with liberal principles, particularly by toler ...
for abetting Islamism in the West, stating "the former excuse behaviour that they would never tolerate from non-Muslims." She has described Western feminists who view modesty veils such as burkas, niqabs and hijabs as symbols of diversity or empowerment as an example of such abetment. However, she opposes a complete ban on Muslim immigration. She supports
offshore detention camps for illegal immigrants, while also supporting asylum seekers who arrive to Australia by boat. She has argued against the
burqa
A burqa or a burka, or , and ur, , it is also transliterated as burkha, bourkha, burqua or burqu' or borgha' and is pronounced natively . It is generally pronounced in the local variety of Arabic or variety of Persian, which varies. Examp ...
and has criticised non-Western women who wear hijabs in solidarity with Muslim women, arguing that the hijab is a political symbol as well as a religious one, and that it was forced on her as a child in Iran. She has supported statements against veils made by fellow former Muslims such as
Darya Safai
Darya Safai ( fa, دریا صفایی, born 7 April 1975) is an Iranian-Belgian author, human rights activist and politician who has been a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives for the New Flemish Alliance since 2019.
Early life and ed ...
and
Yasmine Mohammed.
Panahi has claimed that she was previously in favour of
republicanism
Republicanism is a political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic. Historically, it emphasises the idea of self-rule and ranges from the rule of a representative minority or oligarchy to popular sovereignty. It ...
but now supports retaining the
Monarchy of Australia
The monarchy of Australia is Australia's form of government embodied by the Australian sovereign and head of state. The Australian monarchy is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westminster system of parliamentary government, while i ...
, arguing that monarchy is a flawed system but "the reality is that it works for Australia. We have a stable system of government with a figurehead who is benign, much admired and not interested in interfering in our affairs." She has also expressed opposition to the views of
Australian Republican Movement
The Australian Republic Movement (ARM) is a non-party-partisan organisation campaigning for Australia to become a republic. ARM and its supporters have promoted various models of a republic including parliamentary republic and it is, again, revi ...
's chairman
Peter FitzSimons
Peter John Allen FitzSimons (born 29 June 1961) is an Australian author, journalist, and radio and television presenter. He is a former national representative rugby union player and has been the chair of the Australian Republic Movement sin ...
and agreed with an assessment made by former Senator
David Leyonhjelm
David Ean Leyonhjelm ( "lion-helm"; born 1 April 1952) is an Australian former politician. He was a Senator for New South Wales, representing the Liberal Democratic Party from 2014 to 2019. Having been elected at the 2013 federal election, he ...
that debates over the monarchy is a non-issue for average Australians but one obsessively pushed by republicans. However, Panahi has criticised the political statements made by
Meghan Markle
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle; August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family and former actress. She is the wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son of King Charles III.
Meghan was ...
and
Prince Harry
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succ ...
, arguing they have "trashed" the legacy of Queen Elizabeth. She has also opined that the crown should be passed down to
Prince William
William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales.
Born in London, William was educa ...
in the event of the Queen's death.
She has been described as 'surprisingly' progressive on some social issues. Writing for SBS, Margaret Simons observed that Panahi hates homophobia and has argued in favour of women choosing single motherhood, as she has.
In January 2015, Panahi sparred with
Andrew O'Keefe
Andrew Patrick O'Keefe AM (born 1 October 1971) is an Australian former television presenter and lawyer. He is best known for being the host of the game shows ''Deal or No Deal'' and ''The Chase Australia''. He was also the co-host of ''Weeke ...
on ''
Weekend Sunrise
''Weekend Sunrise'' is an Australian breakfast television program, broadcast on the Seven Network and currently hosted by Monique Wright and Matt Doran.
History
In 2005 the Seven Network replaced its struggling Sunday morning program ''Sunday ...
'' over Islamic extremists. She said "We've got to stop ... pretending like Islam is like any other religion as far as being behind incidences of terror" and "if you value the rights of women you’d have issues with the burqa".
In January 2015, she wrote an article entitled "Islam, you have a very serious problem" which was published in the ''Daily Telegraph''. News website
New Matilda
newmatilda.com, commonly known as New Matilda, is a left-wing independent Australian website of news, analysis and satire.
History
The website was established by John Menadue in August 2004. Its founding editor was Natasha Cica. The website is ...
published an open letter critical of Panahi's article.
In a debate over racism in early 2016, Panahi was on a team opposing ABC presenter
Stan Grant. Panahi argued that Australia should not be characterised as racist.
In January 2017, Panahi was encouraged by
Michael Kroger
Michael Norman Kroger (born 30 May 1957) is a former Australian lawyer. He was president of the Victorian Liberal Party from 1987 to 1992 and from 2015 to 2018, and is considered a member of the conservative faction.
Early life
Kroger was educ ...
to stand for
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
pre-selection in the Victorian state electorate of
Frankston.
Ahead of the
2020 United States Presidential election
The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala Ha ...
, Panahi maintained that while she had some disagreements and reservations about
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
, she favoured his re-election and argued that a Trump victory would be more beneficial to Australian national security over a Biden presidency. She furthermore accused the media of ignoring the increase in black, gay and Hispanic support for Trump in order to accuse him of racism. Panahi claims Joe Biden has engaged in inappropriate behaviour with young girls and is in a cognitive decline.
References
External links
The Rita Pahahi Show Podcaston
Sky News Australia
Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...
Rita Panahi's columnin the ''Herald Sun''
Growing Up in Iran & Immigrating to Australia- Rita Panahi interview with
Dave Rubin
David Joshua Rubin (born in June 1976) is an American conservative political commentator and YouTuber. He is the creator and host of ''The Rubin Report'', a political talk show on YouTube and on the network BlazeTV. Launched in 2013, his show ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panahi, Rita
1976 births
Living people
Australian atheists
Australian former Muslims
Australian women journalists
Former Muslim critics of Islam
Former Muslims turned agnostics or atheists
Iranian emigrants to Australia
People from Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Australian critics of Islam
Australian monarchists
Journalists from Melbourne
Monash University alumni
Swinburne University of Technology alumni
Sky News Australia reporters and presenters
American people of Iranian descent