One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson, perhaps Australia’s most strident voice against the Muslim community, has revealed she carries a copy of the Quran at all times in her handbag.

Ms Hanson made the unexpected admission during an interview with the Nine Network’s 60 Minutes program on Sunday

“I want to use it [the Quran] as a reference,” she said. “And to read it so I have a a better understanding of what I’m talking about.”

Watch the admission:

Ms Hanson is against Halal certification, wants a royal commission held into Islam and has called for no more mosques to be built in Australia.

She also wants to ban Muslim immigration to Australia due to the threat of radical Islamic terrorism.

“I don’t want to see another Australian lose their life because of this,” she said. “I’m trying to be protective … I don’t hate Asians. I don’t hate Muslims. No I don’t hate, hate’s a very strong word.”

And despite angrily spurning Labor Senator Sam Dastyari’s offer to share a halal snack pack on election night, Ms Hanson said she wants to work with Australia’s non-radical Muslims.

“What I’d like to see is … these Muslims that are not the radicals, the ones that want to live their life in peace and harmony and quite happy to be here in Australia and love and embrace this nation, then work with me to find the answers,” she said.

Ms Hanson was returned to the Senate representing Queensland in the recent federal election. Three other One Nation senators also made it to the upper house (in Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales).

Other than Labor, the Coalition and the Greens, One Nation has the most upper house representatives in the 45th parliament.

Hanson struggles on 60 Minutes … again

Of her many infamous moments, the one that shot Ms Hanson to her greatest public notoriety was her “please explain” response in a 1996 60 Minutes interview.

Her deadpan response when asked if she was xenophobic has been used to symbolise the One Nation leader’s political naivety and lack of understanding ever since. 

While the following moment from Sunday’s 60 Minutes episode was not as iconic, Ms Hanson was just as stumped, if not more.

And it was a much easier question, one that all politicians should surely nail:

"If you had one message for the people of Australia, now that you are in Parliament, what would it be?" | #60Minshttps://t.co/0zX2mJfuhx

— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) August 28, 2016

60 Minutes also came under fierce attack for choosing to air a new interview with Ms Hanson.

Viewers were particularly displeased at the tone of the interview, in which Ms Hanson was rarely pressed or challenged.

“#60mins piece on Pauline Hanson is pure puff. Nobody expects a Sarah Ferguson level of interrogation from 60 mins, but this is a joke,” Louis Henderson posted to Twitter.

Ms Hanson introduced her daughter to Australia in the story. Photo: Nine Network

Terrence Pietersen posted: “#60mins this is one of the weakest segments on Pauline Hanson I’ve seen. Liz Hayes is quickly losing journalistic credibility #puffpiece.”

Ms Hanson revealed she would like to have coffee with her political rival and ex-prime minister Tony Abbott.

Mr Abbott was one of the chief figures who fought against Ms Hanson when she was wrongly convicted of electoral fraud in 2003, and spent 11 weeks in jail.

“Tony has already offered to have a cup of coffee with me. No problems about that,” she said. “You can’t live on hate.”

However she may not have completely buried the hatchet with Mr Abbott.

When asked if she had forgiven him, Ms Hanson avoided answering the question.