Australia to Expand Program to Accept More Christian Refugees from Syria
Australia is planning to take in more Christian refugees from Syria and Iraq who are fleeing the Islamic State.
Earlier, Australia announced that it will accept 12,000 Christian refugees from Syria and Iraq under its special humanitarian program. There are fears among religious groups that Australia will not take in a suitable number of persecuted Christians, according to The Australian.
Under the said program, Australia will grant fleeing Christians and Kurds permanent settlement, with women and children as the top priorities. The country will use the program to make sure that the influx of refugees will not be the same as that in Europe, report explains.
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Based on a special Newspoll last weekend, only 22 percent of the country's citizens are in favor of taking in more than 12,000 asylum-seekers, the report details. Another poll reflects that 44 percent of Australians think they should take in fewer refugees, while 27 percent agree with the originally announced 12,000. Among the respondents, 41 percent believe Australia should prioritize Christian refugees, but 52 percent think all of them should be given equal opportunities to be granted asylum.
As of now, the Australian government is already bypassing the UNHCR process and identifying Iraqi Christians who should be prioritized. Turnbull explained that these minorities have the least chance of returning to their normal lives if they are sent home, the report relays.
"The tenor of the times is much less welcoming to minorities like Christians and that is why the focus of the 12,000 intake is on persecuted minorities and women and children," the Australian quotes Turnbull's statement.
Meanwhile, Liberal backbencher Cory Bernardi wants Australia to halt its special humanitarian program for refugees from the Middle East. While he originally supported the decision, he changed his mind after the recent Paris attacks. Bernardi said some of the refugees they previously welcomed have either committed or planned terrorist acts in Australia, The Guardian reports.
Bernardi cited the security agencies' inability to conduct background checks on the asylum seeker. He suggested that the whole system of the refugee humanitarian intake program should be reassessed. They already have "extremist elements at work" in Australia, and the program would only increase the risk of adding more problems.
