SYDNEY, (AFP) - Australia will review the cases of a group of asylum-seekers who converted to Christianity, a move Prime Minister John Howard denied was giving refugees who change their religion preferential treatment.
AFP/File Photo A group of 30 Iranian and Iraqi boatpeople, currently living in detention, who have had their applications to stay in Australia refused, would have their cases reassessed, a government spokesman said. The group had exhausted all assessment and appeals procedures but would be able to begin the process afresh for a "variety of circumstances" including conversion to Christianity and changed conditions in their home country, a spokesman for Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said. Iranians who convert to Christianity could face death if they return to Iran (news - web sites), which operates under Islamic sharia law. But Howard said Monday that immigration laws did not have a "Christianity-specific clause." "There is no denominational or religious clause in the administration of our immigration policy," Howard told ABC radio. "We're not in the business of saying, well, we are going to give a special preference; we are nonetheless concerned when people can demonstrate that by dint of having embraced a particular religious belief, they may suffer persecution if they go back to a particular country. "Now that has always been there, it's not something that has been specifically inserted with a view to having a preference for a particular religion." Australian immigration law calls for mandatory and unlimited detention of asylum seekers. Some 200 foreigners are estimated to have been in immigration custody for more than two years. The latest decision has prompted concern that some detainees could become Christians simply to improve their chances of staying in Australia. "Let's not underestimate persecution that occurs in different countries but I think that if the government makes a decision on the basis of religion, as opposed to having a process of compassion and expediency, there is a real danger in causing people to go down that pathway," chair of the Family First Party Peter Harris said on ABC radio. The sentiment was echoed by the opposition Labor party. "We're in a situation now where one must say that if you're in detention for a long time you're going to be very attracted to conversion," immigration spokesman Laurie Ferguson said. The decision comes amid reports that Australia's conservative government, under fire for its harsh immigration laws, was also considering releasing 120 foreigners who have been in detention for more than three years. The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper said that these people, who have had their applications to stay rejected, could not be returned to their home countries for various reasons. One detainee, Peter Qasim from Kashmir (news - web sites), has been in detention for more than six years but India will not take him back. According to reports, these people would not be granted permanent residency in Australia but their applications would be assessed while they were living in the community rather than behind bars. Howard has, however, said there will not be any "major changes" to his government's immigration policy. "We're not going to make any major changes to the policy, we're obviously going to retain mandatory detention and off-shore processing because they have been the cornerstone of a very successful policy," Howard told ABC radio. "But we always keep aspects of the operation of that policy under review."
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2005 11:20 by almotanabi.
Dear Arbi77; I agree with you and I have this also to say. THose are choices and I'm sure in the states there are some organisations that will facilitate the process and welcome those who want to explore other religions..Should we call them Hypocrits? MAy be! The real Hypocrits to me are those who claim to be MUslims and do/ act otherwise! There are so many in influencial positions! if you see want I mean! As to the Boat pple in the article, at least it's in the open and they are not hiding it! I may not agree with the choice but I respect it and I don't even go as far as questioning there reasons!
If becoming Christians can improve your situation, and live. Why one refuses to do it. One must be pragmatic and realistic in this tough world.
What Islam has brought to them: no bread, no work, no live, ...
I respect their choice; afterwards it's their live. It’s easy to criticism them and treat them a ridicule men, but I like to see you in such situation and then see you behave with complicated issues on hands.
of course if Islam had brought to people no bread, no work, no life, it's gonna be good idea to become christian if this so called christians are sane.
The problem it's the cross worshippers who colonized the Islamic world, stole all it's riches put puppet dictatorships and remote control it to remain poor, hungry, ingorant and an example to the actual so called christians to justify the barbarism of the cross worshippers or crusaders who stole other nations to put the food in their kids table.
I don't see anything wrong with this Iranians and Iraqis who claimed to convert so they can have citizenship! cause there are 2 situations: or the guys are true hypocrites and congratulation for the islamic world to rid from them peacefully or they are forced to do that to survive and Allah is the most mercefull to them! they can always keep their true belief in the heart and do what is necessairy for their lives...
I think about them to be from the next category cause I know well no one with full mind gonna believe to the Book of the Greeks to be from God. this poor collection of books or gospells can not agree between them if jesus son of man or son of god!!! how can they be from the Perfect Creator?
I see your point about colonisation etc, but I think there are much better ways to improve a person’s financial situation than converting to Christianity, as rizq comes from Allah ta'ala and is granted according to Allah's will.
I am sure that once you have the truth, it's a bad thing to leave it, even if you have very difficult circumstances. People in detention centres have a very difficult situation, I am sure, but the only true thing in these types of situations is faith in Allah and Allah ta'ala's will.
With regards to poverty I think that laziness and day dreaming of a life of luxury in the west is the biggest problem.
I think that if person is really genuine about earning his life in a decent manner than surely Allah ta'ala will help him in doing so.
Narrated Anas ibn Malik: A man of the Ansar came to the Prophet (pbuh) and begged from him.
He (the Prophet) asked: Have you nothing in your house? He replied: Yes, a piece of cloth, a part of which we wear and a part of which we spread (on the ground), and a wooden bowl from which we drink water.
He said: Bring them to me. He then brought these articles to him and he (the Prophet) took them in his hands and asked: Who will buy these? A man said: I shall buy them for one dirham. He said twice or thrice: Who will offer more than one dirham? A man said: I shall buy them for two dirhams.
He gave these to him and took the two dirhams and, giving them to the Ansari, he said: Buy food with one of them and hand it to your family, and buy an axe and bring it to me. He then brought it to him. The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) fixed a handle on it with his own hands and said: Go, gather firewood and sell it, and do not let me see you for a fortnight. The man went away and gathered firewood and sold it. When he had earned ten dirhams, he came to him and bought a garment with some of them and food with the others.
The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) then said: This is better for you than that begging should come as a spot on your face on the Day of Judgment. Begging is right only for three people: one who is in grinding poverty, one who is seriously in debt, or one who is responsible for compensation and finds it difficult to pay.
I think those people´s faith in their religion is weak, maybe because of the problems and difficulties they faced during their lives...So they´re represent an "easy prey" if I may say for those who want to shrink the expansion of Islam. It´s simply blackmail...if those Iranians and Irakís were smart enough , they would have understood it.What can a religion which makes blackmail bring to them?? Why can´t they have their applications accepted while remaining Muslims?!
I don´t wanna judge them, they´re free to change their religion but they´ll have to assume the consequences yawm l7isab ! Personally I feel sorry for them...I will never change my religion for anything in the world! alhamdoulilah my faith in Allah is very big.
Allah is the one who give rizk and the one who withdraw it. Life is just a passage where we are tested. It´s not happy everyday and we can´t have anything we want...
my brothers and sisters in Islam, The Iman increase and decrease! for the people who have increasing Iman like the 2 who posted after my last post, there is nothing to worry about you and may Allah help us all to have strong faith?
those who "pretend" to leave their religion for citizenship got weak faith! and their situation is a necessaity for them(of course not for me and you). we should not treat their situation with hard line from the strong Iman that Allah gave us. we should leave the Doors open for our brothers and sisters to reach to repent one day for what they did. our true enemy of All the time is satan, if he takes one of us that's mean he scored a temporary win against us.
if you see me still describing my brothers as pretending to convert to christianity that's because I have to suppose the positive things about them before the negative one. Most of our problems in our Islamic land come from people with weak faith trying to manage our lives: instead of increasing their Iman, they try to decrease ours. salam
Dear All, May be, we should ask some questions. Why was it possible to colonize the arab world ???? Why do we have to much illeterate peoples in the arab world? Why do we have to much corruption and corrupted governements? Why our economic situation is so bad ?? Why did we left our homeland to study and work abroad ? Why do peaple risk their life trying to immigrate to europe? Why do these Irakis and Iraniens become boat peoples? And Why they are trying to convert in order to stay in Australia ? Is it really because of Islam ? My answer is NO. Look at Maalysia......Malysians are muslims and proud to be muslims.They are hard working peoples ????
We came to this situation because of our rigid conception and understanding of islam. The truth is in the holy book, every solution is in the holy book. Do not ask questions. Brainstorming, commun sense and logic should be at the heart of our life (Ibn Ruschd). We need smart muslims who can think and not muslims who learn the coran by heart. Our kids should be confronted with the coran, once they can speak, write and understand the arabic language. They sould learn mathematics as their ancestors did.They should interact more with nature, matter try to understand the universe using scientific mind......
Very well said brother Krim, indeed! I think it's all from the leaders that Allah gave us, or IBTALAANA BIHIM, And as long as they are here, people will be stay poor, will attempt to swim to other shores and will, wa astaghfiro allah alla hada, change even their religion to stay alive.
hellow everybody, I need your help, can anyone tell me why I can't open a new topic, eventhough I'm logged in?? Did anyone of you had a similar issue?? Thank you!
I do not understand some religious when they try to mark people with the religion as their parents. Who can allow them to use this practice? What the major raison behind this. Why they continue to use this process that everyone knows it was very bad and prohibited by good sense.
The manner to mark religiously the citizen of our world has no sense; it was fulling with contradiction and against faith in god. Despite this big contradiction they insist blindly in their catastrophic way.
The religious run for power, for number to take over the human and to keep him under control forever. The religion’s strategy is very elementary based in isolate and fight those are refusing to accept their supremacies.
It remains an obscurant thing what man has never been creating before.
Fellows religious are usually who met many difficulty to accept the reality, and always looking for something as pretext to escape the human responsibility and to reject our human low. These low which we’re vote for, and chose consensually.
I refuse their obscurant low as they reject our low.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2005 10:12 by Gw_Nizar.
yes sunny it works for me my brother! send email to the webmaster to check what's the problem for you? there are always problems who happen in discussion boards software Due to many mistakes in the origine programming.
It is indeed very good Idea that you asked us here sunny.. even the most smart one. subhana Allah you got it in the right time, we left the origine topic and we are browsing sub-topics. seems we do not understand yet how to hold a constructive conversation. we always got some people who want speak about specific things in their mind. they don't mind to do it in any thread.
if you gonna open new topic, just don't put any title? cause no title is the right title. just kidding man
I wish somebody know for sure if this story about this folks is real. I wish also that someone can give them more advices about their necessaity and what is the difference between leaving Islam by choice and leaving it because they are blackmailed in their lives like DeadRose said.
those who doesn't know that much about Islam(I wish from Allah they get it by now?), should humble themselves with Allah and take time to learn deeply before they can discuss things related to Islam. I'm Phd in Math and I know for sure that only a Phd in Math who can handle mathematic discussion in my speciality...the samething can be said about somebody with deep knowledge in Islam and some westerner wannabe who still balancing between east and west.
may Allah help us all? do not take my words too serious if you get offended from what I say? I wish next time you do your best to not get out from the topic. like that we can have more fruitfull discussion.
Unlike mathematic, the religious seems to be something opposite to the logic.
In my intervention I'm not targeting especially Islam but All the religious, which use heritance as business to sharp its fundamentals. All religious has the same tactics in this earth, and Islam isn't an exception in this matter.
"Deep knowledge in Islam", what do you mean by that, my friend? Do you really don't trust your self? You don't feel be able to give you point of view about Islam and do you need someone else to tell you that in your place?
In my opinion, I think no. You're in Phd mathematic and this is already enough to give something accurate.
i belive all people shoud have the right to choose for themselves what religion they will adopte. giving up their religion for the money is not the true way of life. maibe because in their hearts all of us will keep the religion in which were born. unless, of coures, they sence a true calling for changing it. but for money ... this is a choise. a hard one. both these religions have dark sides. both of them are claiming the existance of one God. only the way to rich Him is different. maibe this is only an attempt to gain some power into these areas. maibe they are scared. who ever thought about changing the religion it may be better to think again. it is really worth it?
or they are forced to do that to survive and Allah is the most mercefull to them! they can always keep their true belief in the heart and do what is necessairy for their lives... 
chargement...
