Waleed Aly

Waleed Aly

Waleed Aly (born 15 August 1978) is an Australian radio and television presenter who has also worked as a lawyer, academic and rock musician. He has been a member of the executive committee of the Islamic Council of Victoria and has served as the council's head of public affairs. He is a frequent commentator on Australian Muslim affairs. In 2008 he was selected to participate in the Australia 2020 Summit. He was born in Melbourne.

Education

Aly completed the International Baccalaureate at Wesley College, Melbourne (Glen Waverley Campus) in 1996, where he was a music prefect and an Alexander Wawn scholar. His International Baccalaureate-extended essay was formal harmonic and structural analysis of 'Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody'. He then studied at University of Melbourne and graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering and a Bachelor of Laws with Honours in 2002.^[1] He was a candidate for a Doctor of Philosophy degree at the School of Political and Social Inquiry in the Arts Faculty at Monash University.^[2]

Career

Aly is currently the presenter of ABC Radio National's "Drive" program.^[3] He had previously commenced a PhD and lectured at the Global Terrorism Research Centre at Monash University. He was an associate to Family Court judge Joseph Kay, and until 2007 worked as a solicitor in Melbourne for Maddocks Lawyers. In 2006 he was a pro bono lawyer with the Human Rights Law Centre on secondment from Maddocks.^[4]

Aly's social and political commentary appears regularly in newspapers such as The Guardian, The Australian, The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. His book, People Like Us: How Arrogance is Dividing Islam and the West (Picador, 2007), was shortlisted for the best newcomer award in the Australian Book Industry Awards and the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards in 2008.

Media

As a spokesman for the Islamic Council of Victoria, Aly was regularly interviewed on current affairs and news programs. He writes commentaries for both The Australian and Fairfax newspapers.

Aly is the host of ABC TV's Big Ideas program on ABC1 and ABC News 24.^[5] He is a regular guest co-host of The Conversation Hour with Jon Faine on 774 ABC Melbourne and The Project on Channel 10 and also was a regular panel member and producer on Salaam Cafe, a weekly program presented by young members of Melbourne's Muslim community on community TV station Channel 31 and later on national broadcaster SBS.

He has appeared as a panellist on ABC TV's Q&A program and is an occasional co-host on ABC News Breakfast.

In 2011 he temporarily hosted the ABC Radio National Breakfast show and in 2012 is a co-host on Radio National's new Drive program.^[3]

Awards

Aly was commended in the 2005 Walkley Awards in the category of Commentary, Analysis, Opinion and Critique.^[6] Also in 2005 he was made the White Ribbon Day ambassador for the United Nations' international day for the elimination of violence against women and was named one of The Bulletin magazine's 'Smart 100' in 2007. In 2008 he was also invited to participate in the Prime Minister's 2020 Summit.

Books

His book, People Like Us, was published in 2007.

Music

Aly is the guitarist and a key songwriter in the Melbourne rock, funk and jazz band Robot Child.^[7] Aly participated in the 2009 production of 'Pink Floyd's: The Wall' at Wesley College, Glen Waverley, in which he performed the part of lead guitarist in the band.

Personal

He is married to Susan Carland and they have two children, Aisha and Zayd.

Selected writing

The Monthly

• Patriot Acts: Learning from America
• Comment: Racism, Australian style

The Australian

• Islam maligned in veiled moderation

The Age/ SMH

• Subtle scholar, but what an inept politician 18 September 2006 on reaction to the Pope's comments
• The poisonous political cycle that harms us all on terrorism and the war in Iraq
• War has lured bigots out into the open
• A Muslim house divided on the London bombings
• Sifting through the debris for real legacy of attacks Essay on the 10th anniversary of 11 September.

Other

• What would Muhammad have made of all this?
• "What's Right? The Future of Conservatism in Australia" Quarterly Essay 37 (2010)

Notes

External links

• Renaissance man - a profile in The Age
• Review of 'People Like Us' - Shakira Hussein - The Australian (1 September 2007) - Retrieved 16 February 2012.
• Review of "People Like Us" - richardjking.blogspot.com (15 October 2007) - Retrieved 16 February 2012.
• - Muslimvillage Australia: Waleed Aly Media Files