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Should Canada give preference to Christians over Muslims when admitting the 25,000 refugees from Syria over the next five weeks? There are four ways to answer that question.

If it’s because we like Christians better, or dislike Muslims, or even argue that Christians would simply fit in more easily to a majority Christian country, the answer has to be no. Our liberal democratic traditions do not permit the government to give preference to certain people solely based on their religion. And on Christian grounds themselves, the traditional corporal works of mercy are offered to all who are in need, irrespective of creed.

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The answer is different when it comes to private sponsorship. Common sense would argue in favour of private groups being able to sponsor refugees who might more easily be integrated into the ties that have brought together the sponsors. Most sponsorship groups are religious — Christian in fact — but not all are. Many such Christian groups are quite happy to sponsor Muslim families, but there are some who would like the sponsored families to be able to participate in the life of the church community upon arrival, so preferring a Christian family would be suitable in this situation. The same would apply for Muslim groups sponsoring families who adhere to the Islamic faith.