Reverse Dhimmi ?

Christianity no ticket to stay: PM
March 21, 2005
From: AAP
News.com.au

PRIME Minister John Howard today denied immigration detainees were more likely to be allowed to stay in Australia if they converted to Christianity.
A Sydney newspaper today reported that 30 of Australia's longest-serving immigration detainees were having their cases reviewed and could be freed because they had converted to Christianity since arriving in the country.

But Mr Howard today denied there was a bias towards Christianity in immigration matters.
"There's no denominational or religious-specific clause in the administration of our immigration policy," Mr Howard told ABC Radio in Brisbane.

"Concerns about religious persecution can vary from one religion to another (and) are always factors in deciding how we deal with people," he said.
"But the idea that we would introduce something that is peculiar only to people who convert to Christianity - that's not correct."

The newspaper quoted a spokesman for Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone as saying the only reason for reconsidering the 30 cases was their new religion.
"All these people had exhausted the (assessment and appeals) process and failed," the spokesman was quoted as saying.
"To apply again onshore, the minister has to make a decision under section 48 of the act to lift the bar. That's what has happened in this case; the bar was lifted about two weeks ago."
Asked what had changed in the detainees' circumstances to warrant reconsideration, he said: "Just that they brought new information that they've converted to Christianity and that they want their claim - that they may be persecuted if returned - to be examined."
Mr Howard said the Government was not in the business of giving preference to people who converted to a particular religion.

"We are nonetheless concerned that when people can demonstrate that by having embraced a particular religious belief they may suffer persecution if they go back to a particular country," he told the ABC today.
"That's always been there.
"It's not something that's been inserted with a view to having a preference for a particular religion.
"If that is the tone of the article, then they are not reflecting the administration accurately.á