A federal MP who attended a protest meeting for a group linked to Reclaim Australia says he was "embarrassed and disappointed" that the event had an "anti muslim" agenda.
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Retiring Paterson MP Bob Baldwin attended a meeting of the Stop the Buchanan Mosque community group on Friday night.
The group opposes a proposed mosque development in Buchanan.
Mr Baldwin has previously stated his opposition to the mosque because of its location but said he left the meeting when he realised the event was "anti muslim", "instead of [being about an] inappropriate development in a rural residential area".
"So I just got up and walked out and told them why I thought it was so wrong in so many ways," he wrote on his Facebook page.
The anti-mosque group was set up when news of the planned development broke in October, and despite its Facebook page stating it does not accept "racist, hate or swearin (sic) comments", it has links to the anti-Islamic protest group Reclaim Australia.
In November it joined Reclaim Australia to organise a protest in Cessnock, one of several held across the country.
About 700 people marched down the town's main street chanting "no more mosque", before a rally at which a speaker argued for mosques to be bulldozed.
After Mr Baldwin's post, Peter Kennedy, who attended the meeting, responded by saying "the only thing that seemed to upset you was on the power point the Lindt Cafe and the Parramatta murder were put up".
"But when you think about it you have to accept that all that is included within the problem of mosques," he wrote.
A separate post on the anti-mosque group's page after the meeting said it was "no secret why we want to stop this development".
"Yes some things are controversial for people to see and hear but sadly that's all part of it," the post read.
The event was the second anti-mosque meeting Mr Baldwin has attended this month.
He attended an earlier forum for a group that opposes another mosque in nearby East Maitland, saying it was "the wrong type of development in scale and structure for a rural residential area".
The events do not mark the first occasions he has been vocal on the issue of Islam.
In a speech in parliament in December, Mr Baldwin criticised Muslim community leaders for their response to acts of terrorism, and said he was concerned some were seeking to prevent the celebration of Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter.
He also questioned why "males aged 18 to 45" were fleeing countries like Iraq and Syria, and asked why male refugees fleeing war-torn countries don't "stand and fight", claiming that he would expect his two sons to defend Australia from terrorism.
"I have to ask the question on behalf of my constituents, why are they not staying [and] training to defend their land, their lifestyle [and] their rights," he said.
Mr Baldwin said it was "a bit rich" to expect soldiers from other countries to "lay down their life for you if you are not prepared to stand and fight".
Those comments were criticised at the time by Paul Power, the chief executive of the Refugee Council of Australia, said refugee numbers suggested many men were staying behind.
"Almost a quarter of the families that have sought refuge outside Syria have a female as their head, suggesting many males have stayed behind to defend their homes and their lives," he said.
"Many single men are continuing on to Europe in the hope they can send some financial assistance to the family members they leave behind."
Mr Baldwin has been contacted for comment.
