Rupert Murdoch Endorses Religious Test For Refugees, Calls For “Special Exception For Proven Christians”
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News Corp. and 21st Century Fox executive co-chairman Rupert Murdoch suggested that President Barack Obama “make [a] special exception for proven Christians” when considering refugees in the wake of recent attacks in Paris.
In a November 16 tweet, Murdoch echoed comments from right-wing media figures calling for Obama to only accept Christian refugees from Syria. In the tweet Murdoch claimed “Obama facing enormous opposition in accepting refugees. Maybe make special exception for proven Christians”:
And so we have to, each of us, do our part. And the United States has to step up and do its part. And when I hear folks say that, well, maybe we should just admit the Christians but not the Muslims; when I hear political leaders suggesting that there would be a religious test for which a person who's fleeing from a war-torn country is admitted, when some of those folks themselves come from families who benefitted from protection when they were fleeing political persecution -- that's shameful. That's not American. That's not who we are. We don't have religious tests to our compassion.
When Pope Francis came to visit the United States, and gave a speech before Congress, he didn't just speak about Christians who were being persecuted. He didn't call on Catholic parishes just to admit to those who were of the same religious faith. He said, protect people who are vulnerable.