New Zealand Muslims complain of being persecuted by Customs officers whenever they fly back into the country.
They are constantly harassed by customs simply because they are easily identified by their names.
Those complaints have almost doubled since September 11 attacks on the United States and the widespread Islamophodia, thanks to the U.S. biased media approach which attempts through many ways to defame the Muslim nations, establishing a fake link between Islam and terrorism.
"They feel intimidated, they feel concerned, they feel that they... are not treated as equals with the other members of the community," says Javed Khan from the Federation of Islamic Associations New Zealand.
Muslims are frequently stopped at airports and questioned by officials for hours, basically because of their Middle Eastern look and religion.
Maher Fauzi lived and worked in New Zealand for six years. He considers the country his home. But recently, while returning to New Zealand, he says, he was annoyed by the way custom officers treated him, and held him for long interrogation as if he was a “potential terrorist”.
That was simply because he’s a Muslim.
Returning from Duba, Fauzi said that he, as well as fellow Muslims, were held for two hours long interrogation at Auckland Airport.
"You feel like you are a criminal. Not a criminal, even worse than that you know. You feel humiliated," he says.
Responding to Customs’ persistent rejection of their concerns, claiming that it does not target people “on the basis of race or ethnicity,” a group of Muslims representing their community raised their complaints to ethnic affairs officials and expect to get an approval to meet with government ministers soon.
Currently there are about 23631 Muslims living in New Zealand and the community is exceptionally diverse- they belong to various branches of Islamic faith. They also come from different backgrounds and different cultures, which had its great impact on the community.
Re: New Zealand Muslims targeted, harassed at Customs
Let's not repeat others' errors Irfan Yusuf
A tiny minority of young Australian-born Muslims are increasingly being seen as a security threat.
Australian police recently arrested three young Muslim men, joining 15 or so co-religionists, the bulk of them born and brought up in Australia.
The most recent annual report by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) identifies a strategic change in the approach of terrorist groups such as al Qaeda, a change which happened in 2002.
Dr Paul Buchanan's response on these pages supports the assessment of Australian security expert Clive Williams of the Australian National University. Williams argues that Australian involvement in Iraq and other overseas conflicts has put Australia on the terrorists' radar.
But in fighting terrorism, authorities must understand that Islamic teachings aren't the problem, nor are most Muslims.
Even critics will agree with the SIS's assessment that extremist groups have focused on recruiting "individuals inspired rather than directed who were citizens or permanent residents of the countries in question, and who were not previously regarded as of major security concern".
New Zealand's media have shown sensitivity to the religious sentiments of minorities, and Muslim communities need to take some responsibility. One cannot expect any religious denomination to act as an intelligence or law enforcement agency, but community leaders can limit the attraction of extremism by helping young Muslims get maximum exposure to the broad spectrum of Islamic theology and culture.
Sadly, some migrant Muslim communities treat Islam as a cultural relic. The needs of young people and converts are ignored, giving extremists more recruitment opportunities.
UK Muslim institutions are dominated by first-generation, largely sub-Continental migrants employing non-English speaking imams more interested in sectarian and cultural feuds of little relevance to British Muslims.
Those believed to be responsible for the London attacks were young emotional and ideological refugees from Muslim mosques and institutions uninterested in assisting young people caught swinging between spiritual and cultural poles.
The migration experience is traumatic. Sadly, the greater trauma of children growing up between multiple cultural and religious values and expectations is often ignored.
Many young Muslims feel alien, whether at home or outside, unsure of their identity and more prone to depression and anxiety than their peers who don't experience such cultural confusion. Those at the helm of Muslim institutions must understand that any failure to assist young Muslims manage identity-related crises could pose a security threat for the broader community.
Australia's leading Muslim organisations have not provided a good example. The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils has no youth representatives on its board and is composed almost exclusively of middle-aged men born outside Australia. Its adviser on youth affairs is an imam in his 60s with no English.
Subsequent generations of Australian Muslims find mainstream mosques irrelevant and instead are attracted to youth centres managed by more radical imams who speak fluent English and who gained their ideas studying in Saudi Arabia.
New Zealand's Muslim community doesn't have some of the negative features found in Australia. However, mosque management committees are often controlled by first-generation migrants, with no strategy for inter-generational transfer.
Muslim institutions must ensure Islam doesn't become a piece of cultural baggage left at the airport. If young people and converts are not catered for, most will eventually leave Islam altogether. But some may fall under the spell of extremist theology.
* Irfan Yusuf is a Sydney lawyer who has acted for Muslim bodies and independent schools. First published in the New Zealand Herald on 13 April 2006.
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