Posted April 03, 2017 14:47:54

Photo: Ayaan Hirsi Ali was due to appear as a panellist on the ABC's Q&A program. (Q&A)

Controversial speaker and vocal critic of Islam Ayaan Hirsi Ali has cancelled at the last minute her speaking tour of Australia and New Zealand, citing security concerns.

Ali was due to appear as a panellist on the ABC's Q&A program tonight, but has also cancelled.

Her Hero of Heresy tour was due to begin in Brisbane on Thursday, before taking her to Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland.

Organiser Think Inc said the cancellation was due to "a number of reasons including security concerns, and she hopes to be able to return to Australia in the not too distant future".

The 47-year-old is a controversial figure attracting widespread criticism among the liberal left and death threats from the religious right.

Ali was born to a Muslim family in Somalia but renounced her religion after seeking political asylum in the Netherlands in the early 1990s.

She has repeatedly criticised radical Islamists and sharia law and wants moderate Muslims to reform their religion.

Ali joined Geert Wilders' far right party in the Netherlands but moved to the United States after receiving death threats for helping to make a short film that showed images of violence against women alongside verses from the Koran.

Topics: islam, religion-and-beliefs, community-and-society, australia