Haaretz:
SYDNEY – A controversial article on illegal boat people by the publisher of the Australia’s main Jewish newspaper has ignited a storm of protest, with some critics savaging it for “vilifying Muslims” and promoting “xenophobic, Islamophobic and heartless sentiments.”
A boat carrying asylum seekers off Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, June 27, 2012.
Titled “Curb your compassion,” Robert Magid’s article, published in last Friday’s Sydney and Melbourne editions of the Australian Jewish News, argued that illegal boat people are queue jumpers who deprive sanctuary to legitimate refugees.
“The Jews who fled the Holocaust fled certain death,” he wrote. “I doubt whether there is a single boat person in that position. Some may have fled a war zone or limited economic opportunities while others are seeking an easy life.