Waleed Aly

Waleed Aly
Waleed Aly
Born	August 15, 1978 (age 48); Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation(s)	Television host, journalist, academic, legal professional, musician
Years active	2002–present
Known for	Co-presenter on Network 10's The Project; politics lecturer at Monash University; co-host of The Minefield on ABC RN; lead guitarist in Robot Child
Notable work	People Like Us: How arrogance is dividing Islam and the West (2007)

Waleed Aly (born 15 August 1978) is an Australian figure known for his work as a television host, journalist, academic, and legal professional.

He serves as a politics lecturer at Monash University's Global Terrorism Research Centre and was a co-presenter on Network 10's news show The Project. Aly contributes articles to Fairfax Media, co-hosts the radio program The Minefield on ABC RN, and plays lead guitar in the rock group Robot Child.

In 2016, he received the prestigious Gold Logie Award for Best Personality on Australian Television.

Early life and education

Born in Melbourne, Victoria, on 15 August 1978 to Egyptian immigrant parents, Aly identifies as a Sunni Muslim.

He completed the International Baccalaureate at Wesley College in 1996. Aly then earned dual Bachelor degrees with honours in Chemical Engineering and Laws from the University of Melbourne in 2002.

In May 2017, he was awarded a PhD from Monash University for his doctoral research entitled Towards a structuration theory of global terrorism.

Legal and academic career

Following graduation, Aly worked as an associate to Family Court judge Joseph Kay and practiced as a solicitor with Maddocks Lawyers in Melbourne until 2007. In 2006, he undertook pro bono legal work at the Human Rights Law Centre while on secondment from Maddocks.

His book People Like Us: How arrogance is dividing Islam and the West was published in 2007. The following year, he took part in the Australia 2020 Summit, a bipartisan forum focused on long-term national planning.

Aly is part of the academic staff at Monash University's Global Terrorism Research Centre. He links many conflicts in the Middle East to factors such as Western-imposed territorial boundaries, oil interests, and events like the 2003 invasion of Iraq. After the Boston Marathon bombing, he described terrorism as a "perpetual irritant" yet acknowledged advancements in counterterrorism approaches.

Media

Aly held the position of head of public affairs for the Islamic Council of Victoria and served on its executive committee, frequently providing commentary on current affairs programs. His social and political analyses have been published in leading Australian newspapers including The Guardian, The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Age.

He has hosted ABC TV's Big Ideas and regularly guest co-hosted The Conversation Hour with Jon Faine on 774 ABC Melbourne. Additionally, he appeared on Channel 10's The Project. Aly contributed as both panelist and producer to Salam Cafe, a show created by young Melbourne Muslims under RMITV for C31 Melbourne and later broadcast on SBS. His television appearances also include ABC TV's Q&A and occasional co-hosting duties on ABC's News Breakfast.

In January 2012, Aly became the first host of RN Drive on ABC Radio National. He stepped down in December 2014 to take up a permanent co-host role on Channel Ten's The Project starting January 2015. Returning to ABC RN in April 2015, he began co-hosting The Minefield alongside Scott Stephens while maintaining his position on The Project.

Aly gained widespread attention in November 2015 after delivering a powerful four-minute monologue condemning ISIS on The Project following the Paris attacks; the segment amassed 13 million views within one day.

As of 2023, he continues co-hosting The Minefield with Scott Stephens and regularly appears on The Project. He also contributes articles to The Sydney Morning Herald. In June 2025, after Network 10 canceled The Project, Aly departed from the network.

Recognition and awards

In 2005, Aly received a commendation at the Walkley Awards in the category of Commentary, Analysis, Opinion and Critique.

Together with producer Tom Whitty, Aly was shortlisted for two Our Watch Awards in 2015 for their impactful editorial "Show Me The Money (Domestic Violence Funding)" aimed at ending violence against women. That same year, they secured a United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Award recognizing their efforts in raising awareness about climate change through the "Renewable Energy Target" monologue. Additionally, they earned a Walkley nomination for Excellence in Journalism in the All Media Commentary, Analysis, Opinion and Critique category for a series of editorials including "Show Me The Money," "Renewable Energy Target," and "Negative Gearing."

In May 2016, Aly was honored with the Gold Logie Award for Best Personality on Australian Television, as determined by public voting.

Also in 2016, Liberty Victoria awarded Aly the Voltaire Award for his advocacy of free speech. Commentator Paul Monk highlighted Aly’s significant role in promoting freedom of expression within the Muslim community.

During June 2016, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hosted the inaugural Iftar dinner at Kirribilli House for Muslim leaders, where Aly and his wife were seated at Table No. 1 alongside the Prime Minister.

In August 2016, Aly and Whitty were again finalists for two Our Watch Awards with their editorial "Click Something Else." The following month, they won a United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Award for Social Cohesion with their "Send Forgiveness Viral" monologue. October brought two Walkley nominations: one for Television/Audio-Visual News Reporting with "Milked Dry," which addressed Australia's dairy pricing crisis, and another in Commentary, Analysis, Opinion and Critique for a collection including "Click Something Else," "Milked Dry," and "ISIL is Weak."

Music

Aly serves as the lead guitarist and chief songwriter for Melbourne-based rock group Robot Child. The band contributed a song to Jesuit Social Services' Just Music compilation and performed at the Famous Spiegeltent during its launch. Their rendition of Pink Floyd’s "Comfortably Numb" at the 2015 Walkley Awards garnered notable praise.

Additionally, Aly appears on the track "Surah Maryam" from the 2021 album Paul Kelly's Christmas Train.

Personal life

Based in Melbourne, Aly lives with his wife Susan Carland—an academic and feminist author—and their two children. Carland embraced Islam at age 19 and earned her PhD from Monash University.

Publications

People like us: How arrogance is dividing Islam and the West (2007), Picador, ISBN 978-0-330-42380-9
What's right?: The future of conservatism in Australia (2010), Black, ISBN 978-1-86395-466-2; part of the Quarterly Essay series
Various articles accessible via Trove.