Christian Pressure Kills off Bias Ban

November 19, 2006

Author: Jeremy Roberts

Source: The Australian

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,20787618-949,00.html#

The South Australian Attorney-General has admitted dropping a planned ban on religious-based discrimination from a new law because of fears from Christians they would be prevented from converting non-Christians.

Muslim leaders and legal experts have condemned the decision to drop the ban, arguing that laws were needed to protect Muslims from increasing incidents of prejudice prompted by Islamic terrorist attacks.

But mainstream churches were concerned the ban would prevent them from criticising other faiths in their attempts to convert non-believers.

Attorney-General Michael Atkinson defended the decision to drop the ban from the Equal Opportunity Bill, which is before parliament, saying the state's majority Christian population did not want it.