The group presented a united front on Wednesday, accusing the government of peddling bigotry by suggesting that the proposed 12,000 refugees to be welcomed by Australia might be prioritised by gender or religion.

"It is truly abhorrent that in Australia in 2015 we are hearing that federal politicians have specified that there be 'no more Muslim men'," said Widyan Fares, a spokeswoman for the Lebanese Muslim Association, who came to Australia in 1995 as a refugee fleeing Iraq.

"When we have an opportunity such as this to display basic human compassion, we are sullying it with appalling human traits.

"We must not allow this compassion to become warped and tainted where, when assisting others abroad, we isolate and ostracise those at home."

Ms Fares was born in a UNHCR tent in a Saudi refugee camp after her parents fled Saddam Hussein's regime.

"I cannot fathom that 24 years on, I am still seeing people go through the same horrors and dangers of fleeing ones land," she said.

Father Rod Bowers, known for his controversial billboards at Gosford Anglican Church, said it was "stupidity of the most monumental proportions" to accept more refugees whilst also launching airstrikes in Syria, which would only displace more people.

"When will we learn that this doesn't work?" he said. "Iraq went so well, didn't it?"

Jan Barnett, from the Sisters of St Joseph, echoed his comments that it would send the wrong message to discriminate against some refugees.

"We are a secular democracy. We don't discriminate on the grounds of religion," Father Bowers said.

Sheikh Wesam Charkawi, from Lakemba Mosque, said the intake should be based purely on "need not creed".

Muslim community advocate Lydia Shelly said the crisis in Syria had largely been ignored for five years because it was "politically inconvenient".