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Thursday 10 Sep 2015 - 11:35 Makkah mean time-26-11-1436
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Sydney (IINA) - Proposals by senior Australian politicians to prioritize Christian refugees have been slammed by Muslim leaders and rights activists as “bigoted” action that aims at vilifying the Muslim community, according to media reports.
Calls for Christians to be given priority among Syrian refugees are discriminatory and reinforce a sense Muslims “are always going to be vilified in the Australian community,” Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad, Australia's grand mufti, told the Guardian on Tuesday.
“When it comes to catastrophes, such as these, we should be prioritizing human beings rather than prioritizing a certain religion,” he added.
The Mufti’s comments followed calls by Employment Minister Eric Abetz to give priority for Christian refugees, in case Australia increased its intake of fleeing Syrians, because they were “the most persecuted group in the world.”
Criticizing the anti-Muslim immigration suggestion, Abu Mohamed said Australian Muslims were “feeling yet another form of discrimination, or marginalization and of targeting.”
“Statements like this, in their clarity of discrimination against Muslims assert the counter narrative that Muslims are always going to be discriminated against and vilified in the Australian community.”
Urging the government to accept more refugees, the mufti said, “A lot of people are being affected, and it would be a great honor for Australia to be at the forefront of countries allowing these refugees to seek asylum here.”
The 20,000 places suggested by the Greens was a start, but “Australia is a big country and has a lot to offer, so it will be able to absorb that number and more,” he added.
The mufti’s calls come as Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced plans to accept 12,000 more Syrian refugees, besides the country’s existing 13,750 humanitarian intake.
The calls to prioritize Christian refugees were also met with criticism from rights activists who considered that calls “deeply disappointing.”
"Such a move sends a dangerous message that one group of people is more deserving of our compassion than another,” Australia Refugee Ambassador Mariam Veiszadeh told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“Humanity knows no border, race or faith so why is our compassion towards refugees selective?"
Meanwhile, Save the Children CEO Paul Ronalds said that there are persecuted minorities of “all faiths and all cultures,” SBS reported.
“To distinguish between them doesn't seem like an appropriate response,” he said.
Sydney Islamic community leader Ahmed Kilani said: "This kind of bigoted fear mongering from the Abbott government is a new tragic low. It's a betrayal of the true Australian spirit."
SM/IINA
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