Islam and Life of Muslims in Non Muslim Countries: New Zealand

New Zealand, the far esterly country, has always been peaceful and accommodative of people from across the world even belonging to religions other than the majority religion of Christianity. Muslims are a very negligible part of the population, 1-2% and have been there since 1850s when the first Muslim from India came to Cashmere. Thereafter, Muslims have been trickling in but never in large numbers.

The first Islamic organisation in New Zealand, the New Zealand Muslim Association (NZMA), was established in Auckland in 1950. In 1951 the refugee boat SS Goya brought over 60 Muslim men from eastern Europe, including Mazhar Krasniqi who would later serve twice as president of the New Zealand Muslim Association. 

Significant increase in Muslim populations is attributed to the arrival of mainly Indo-Fijians in the 1970s, and later followed by professionals after the first Fiji coup of 1987. In the 1990s many migrants came from the war torn countries like Somalia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq. There are also a significant number of Muslims from Iran who live in New Zealand.

Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, image. © Farrukh, Flickr/ CC

As per 2013 census there were approximately 47,000 Muslims in the country. New Zealand  has a number of mosques in the major centres, and two Islamic schools (Al Madinah and Zayed College for Girls). The Al Noor Mosque in Riccarton, Christchurch, was the world's southernmost mosque until 1999. The majority of New Zealand Muslims are Sunnis but there is a large number of Shias who live in New Zealand, concentrated mainly in Auckland.

The life of people of New Zealand and Muslims has been a beautiful example of peaceful coexistence ever sine and despite concerns of islamophobia in some minds, nothing of the sort ever happened here. Muslims, mostly professionals and well read have been a valuable asset of the Kiwi society and have always been productive. The Muslims from Pakistan have generally been called Pakistani Kiwis and so were others. New Zealand is pretty tolerant from a religious perspective, and has an expectation of religious tolerance. No one particularly cares what religion one believes in, unless someone tries to impose your religious/cultural beliefs on others in some way. Almost 9 out of 10 New Zealanders believe that it is positive to have a diverse society, made up of different religions, cultures and ethnic groups, according to a survey carried out in the country in 2008 by Ward & Masgoret.

The common New Zealanders have generally been talking positively about Muslims being around: 

• Aaron Alexander, born in Christchurch, live in Wellington, New Zealand's capital city, says: "We are certainly not immune to small-mindedness and bigotry in some places. And certainly fearful and bigoted people are being emboldened here as they are elsewhere in the West. Also, public sentiment is shifting against immigration on the whole, though that is about housing availability and is not about Muslims in particular. I believe that on the whole New Zealand prides itself on being a tolerant, open society. As such, the prevailing attitude regarding Islam would be, at the very least ‘we have no problem with Muslim people and we’ll treat them better than most other places these days’."
• Andrew Lim, originally from Malaysia, have lived in New Zealand since 2004 says that  Having lived in New Zealand for twelve years, I would say that the country is generally safe and welcoming to immigrants. Auckland has several mosques and the University of Auckland has a large number of Muslim students, mainly from Malaysia, South Asia, and the Middle East. The University also has its own Muslim prayer room and Muslim association. Muslims are the fastest growing religious group in New Zealand with a sixfold increase between 1991 and 2006 alone. However, we do have some elements of Islamophobia in New Zealand society. Not to the same level as in the US and Europe thankfully but still disconcerting for some. There are some anti-Islamic elements in New Zealand like the politician Richard Prosser, the conservative magazine editor Ian Wishart, and the right-wing blogger Cameron Slater but their views on Islam don’t reflect the general public’s views.
• Jim Schofield, lives in New Zealand is of the view that there is some discrimination and there are occasional anti-Muslim acts, largely limited to graffiti on mosques etc and ‘passive’ discrimination against women with head coverings (i.e. fairly low level - the chances of encountering overt racism/anti-Muslim discrimination is less; the chances of violence or race riots is much lower than for example Australia or the UK). Muslim have been members of Parliament, and there’s a fairly large Muslim population from a huge number of Muslim nations. So there’s a substantial number of Mosques and communities of Muslims around NZ - to me, they’re “fine” - they don’t cause any concern whatsoever to me, and in turn they don’t cause any notable “problems” (to me).

All was going well till a lone white Christian from Australia chose to make a difference. The gory and ghastly terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, namely the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosque, that resulted in to death of 50 Muslims and injuring a large number, disturbed the peace and tranquility that always existed in New Zealand. No words can describe the tragedy, but the way the local people reacted to this terrorist act was really moving. People form all walks of life and religion stood behind the Muslims in their hour of grief and displayed a superb unity against terrorism that shattered everyone's hearts.

The massacre showed the rare side of human beings: The spirit to protect others while daring to stand in front of the assailant. A wife from Bangladesh shielded her husband on wheelchair and gave her life in protecting him. A father wrapped around his four years old son to protect him from the spraying bullets and succumbed to his wounds. A Pakistan teacher Naeem Rashid dared the attacker by trying to block his way and lost his life. Life would go on without those fifty who perished, but their memories shall always remain forever.

The New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern instantly rose to the occasion and appeared on the TV with a head covering, a Muslim woman's attire, and strongly condemned the attack. And vowed to ban the automatic and semi automatic weapons which could be used by terrorists. she also went about meeting the families of the victims and assuring them of every possible support they might need. She also announced bearing expenses on the funeral of all those who perished in the terrorist attack.

In a rare display of solidarity with the Muslims, 22nd March was declared as the Wear the Hijab Day to express the love people of New Zealand have for their Muslim community and on Friday everywhere non Muslim women were seen head scarves as a mark of solidarity with Muslim women who lost their relatives.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and other New Zealanders joined the Muslims in Hagley Park adjacent to the Al Noor Mosque where most of the victims perished in Christchurch on Friday to listen to the Muslim call to prayer. The call to prayer was also aired on the NZ TV.

The emotions and solidarity shown by the ordinary citizens of the New Zealand to sympathize with the Muslims will go a long way in the hearts of the Muslims living in New Zealand and even all over the world and will always be thankful to them for being with them in their hour of grief and extreme test. While Ardern told the gathering, "New Zealand mourns with you, we are one," the imam of the Al Noor mosque, Gamal Fouda, said in thanking New Zealanders for their support and compassion since the attacks. "We are brokenhearted, but we are not broken, this terrorist sought to tear our nation apart with an evil ideology ... but we have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable."

The people of Christchurch are attending funerals of the perished Muslims and coming forward in expressing their grief with the bereaved families. Watch the video below with moving emotional scens:

Author's Note: The data above has been collected from the references as given below. If any one differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Naeem Rashid: A hero who dared the Christchurch terrorist

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Muslims in Non Muslim Countries: Brazil

I have been writing this series of Muslims and Non Muslim countries and have a mixed feeling of how Muslims are treated in most of the non Muslim countries. But Brazil, oh boy, what a fresh breeze I felt while reading about Muslims in Brazil, a South American secular country famous for its Football team and almost 60% of the entire Amazon rain forest, beside the Christ Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro is one of the 7 Wonders of the World. 

"Muslims in Brazil are in a state where they are proud of their faith and more concerned about sharing their belief with people than defending it. Though the general public has limited knowledge of Islam, Brazilians hold no prejudice towards Muslims despite the infiltration of rhetoric echoing American Islamophobia. Moreover, despite a trend of Brazilians changing their name when they become Muslim, they are very much proud of their cultural and national heritage as Brazilians. Almost all agreed that what they love about Brazil is its tolerance, hospitality, acceptance of others, and just happy attitude to life," writes Ammar Asfour who has been exploring Islam in different countries around the world. [1]

The history of Muslims in Brazil begins with the importation of African slave labor to the country in the 16th century. The Muslim uprising of 1835 in Bahia by Malês, as African Muslims were known in 19th-century Bahia. The revolt, the largest slave revolt in Brazil and the largest urban slave revolt in the Americas, left fifty to a hundred dead. Fearing the example might be followed, intensive efforts were made to force conversions to Catholicism and erase the popular memory of and affection towards Islam. However, the African Muslim community was not erased overnight, and as late as 1910 it is estimated there were still some 100,000 African Muslims living in Brazil. 

Brazil received a lot of Arab immigrants after the world wars, specially from Syria and Lebanon. Our current President is of Arabic ancestry. In spite of that, the majority of Arabs that came to Brazil were Christians, Maronites and Melkites mostly. Don´t expect to find a lot of Muslims among the Arabic Brazilian society.[5]

The number of Muslims in Brazil, according to the 2010 Brazilian census, was 35,207. Muslim associations in Brazil, however, gave higher numbers of adherents: from 400,000 to 1.5 million. [2] According to a census conducted by the Brazilian institute for geography and statistics, the number of Muslims living in Brazil has risen by 29.1 percent between the years 2000 and 2010. 

The Muslim culture cane be felt and seen in the architecture. As for the cuisine, the second largest fast food chain in Brazil is Habib's, which serves Arab food. The diversity of influence also stretches to businesses such as the textile industry, which is mostly run by merchants of Syrian-Lebanese origin. The São Paulo city council has a Muslim Councilor by the name of Mohammad Murad, a lawyer. A number of mosques dot the greater São Paulo area, the oldest and most popular of these being found on Avenida do Estado. Since its establishment, the mosque has added a Quranic school, library, kitchen and meeting hall for various functions.

During the past 30 years, Islam has become increasingly noticeable in Brazilian society by building not only mosques, but also libraries, arts centers, and schools and also by funding newspapers.A growing number of people have converted to Islam in recent years in Brazil. According to local Muslims and media reports, conversions to the religion have contributed significantly to its spread in the country. A recent Muslim source estimated that there are close to 10,000 Muslim converts living in Brazil. Significant Muslim communities are located in the industrial suburbs of the city of São Paulo and in the port city of Santos, as well as in smaller communities in Paraná State in the coastal region and in Curitiba and Foz do Iguaçu in the Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay triborder area. There are over 150 mosques in Brazil and the number is growing.

Generally speaking, Brazil is much more tolerant than the United States or European countries when it comes to the coexistence with the Islamic religion. It is not common to see someone making the prejudiced association Arab-Muslim equals terrorism, as you see in other countries. The multicultural traces of Brazil (it is estimated that 15 million Brazilians have Islamic backgrounds) have shaped a society that can live just fine with differences, and this is not a cliché, but reality. [3]

As for Halal meat, something most Muslims look for when visiting a new country, Brazil is a big producer of halal meat, most part of it is exported. But despite that it is difficult to find the halal products, aside from metropolitan cities, such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, that are very well supplied with halal meat. The rising Brazilian halal meat industry employs a lot of Muslim skilled workforce. In terms of food, Brazil’s second largest fast food chain is Arabic style restaurant Habib’s and, in Rio, traditional Arabic dishes such as hummus, kafta and felafel can be found everywhere. Another place to taste Arabic food is Amir restaurant, situated on the seafront of Copacabana.

Education for Muslim children is not much of a problem as they can study wherever they or their parents decide. Although many Brazilian private schools still teach based on catholic values and have catholic names, yet, the schools cannot forbid a Muslim student to take lessons there, what configures religious discrimination, punishable by Law.

There is no prohibition when it comes to people's garment. So, the use of hijab, niqab or burka (and its variations from Islam's culture to culture) is not forbidden, but it draws a lot of attention and curious glances, as Brazilians are not used to these costumes and habits. Women in those garments are free to circulate through absolutely everywhere in Brazil, inclusive public institutions. It is not legal for a Muslim to miss work or school etc, based on the Islamic holidays, but, of course, this can be agreed between the parties. [3]

How do Muslims of Brazil feel describe Islam and being a Muslim, well the answers are generally positive and reassuring.[1]

• Kaab, a community leader who when asked about culture said, “I don’t really care much about culture. My culture now is my relationship with God and caring for the community.”  
• Leandro is an impressively knowledgeable 26-year-old Brazilian lawyer says, "Islam means three things. It means a serenity and comfort at heart. It means a way of life through connecting with God. And, lastly, it means a balance that he references with a short verse in the Quran, “Thus We have made you a middle nation.” His favorite thing about Brazilian culture that he maintains as a Muslim is the hospitality of Brazilians and their family values. He also thinks that Brazilian culture loves and appreciates food and he loves to maintain that as Muslim.
• Yousuf, a graphic designer, says he finds it reinforcing to his spirituality. It is as if his faith is a white dot in a sea of darkness which encourages him to focus on protecting it. For him, it is part of the Brazilian culture to have a strong guiding faith, regardless of what that religious belief is. “Brazilians have faith!” he says.

Sami Isbelle a spokesperson for SBMRJ [Sociedade Beneficente Muçulmana do Rio de Janeiro] in Rio de Janeiro, revealed in an interview with a Pakistani news network, “The number of Muslims in Brazil continues to grow and most are Brazilians who are converting. […] They are drawn to Islam for different reasons, such as marrying a Muslim, getting to know the religion through friends or the Internet or while searching for answers to spiritual questions.” [4]

31 year-old Fernando Celino, who converted to the Islamic faith from Catholicism in 2006, “It happened during my adolescence. I continued to believe in God but not religion. I first came across Islam through a Muslim friend and while at university I began to study the religion myself in greater detail. It explained things to me better than any other religion had.” [4]

I could go on and on sharing views of the Brazilian Muslims, but suffice to say all have similar experiences and aspirations as expressed by Kaab, Leandro and Yusuf above. So it is happy living for Muslims by and large, something not found in other non Muslim countries. They enjoy celebrating their religious events with full religious zeal and fervor. Herein under watch Muslims in Sao Paulo adapt for Ramadan:

Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 |  4  | 5 |

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Muslims in Non Muslim Countries: Germany

Like most of the prescient European countries, Muslims moved to Germany as part of the diplomatic, military and economic relations between Germany and the Ottoman Empire in the 17-18th centuries. The first Muslims came to Germany as prisoners of war from the Siege of Vienna by the Ottomans (1683). The majority of these prisoners were in fact either baptized or returned to their homeland. Twenty Muslim soldiers are said to have served under Frederick William I of Prussia, at the beginning of the eighteenth century. In 1745, Frederick II of Prussia established a unit of Muslims in the Prussian army called the "Muslim Riders" and consisting mainly of Bosniaks, Albanians and Tatars. In 1760 a Bosniak corps was established with about 1,000 men. 

In 1798 a Muslim cemetery was established in Berlin. The Türkischer Friedhof Berlin cemetery, which moved in 1866, still exists today. In the First World War, the Ottoman Empire fought on Germany’s side and fallen Turkish soldiers were buried at the cemetery, since when it has also borne the name Şehitlik, meaning ‘martyrs’. The Şehitlik mosque directly beside it was built between 1999 and 2005 and took its name from the cemetery. 150 graves are still preserved today.

In the First World War the Ottoman Empire fought on the side of the Central Powers. Consequently, Muslim prisoners of war from the Allies on the one hand came to two internment camps in Wünsdorf and Zossen near Berlin, whilst the Ottoman armed services on the other hand came to Berlin. The first mosque to be erected on German soil was in the so-called "Halbmondlager" [Half Moon Camp] in Wünsdorf. The wooden domed structure with its 25-meter-high minaret, modeled on the Dome of the Rock, did not exist for long, however, and was demolished in 1930, having fallen into a state of disrepair.

The Wünsdorf Mosque [Photo]

It may be interesting for many to know that the presently rather abhorred word "Jihad" was used by Germany to its favour. During the First World War, German officials created a newspaper called “El Dschihad” (Jihad) to encourage Muslim soldiers from other countries to fight their “holy war”, according to the German Historical Museum in Berlin. Even the first mosque constructed in Germany was a part of this strategy, allowing prisoners to practice their religion, and then to teach them about the holy war in order to convince them to fight alongside Germany against the Allies. [1]

It was after the First World War that Muslims as students found their way into German colleges and universities. and thus the number of Muslims started to increase. However, the Muslims came to Germany en mass  with the signing of recruitment agreements with Muslim states, such as Turkey (1961), Morocco (1963), Tunisia (1965) and Yugoslavia (1968). A stop was put on recruitment during the economic crisis of 1973. 

Today, Germany ranks fifth in EU for relative Muslim population size. Between 2010 and 2016, the number of Muslims living in Germany rose from 3.3 million (4.1% of the population) to nearly 5 million (6.1%), while the rest of the population shrank modestly from 77.1 million to 76.5 million. Immigration has been a major factor in the growth of Germany’s Muslim population. But, even if there is no more immigration, Muslims will continue to increase as a share of Germany’s population in future decades because German Muslims, on average, are much younger and have more babies than Germans as a whole. [4]

Today Turks constitute a large majority of Muslims in Germany (63.2%), followed by smaller groups from Pakistan, countries of the former Yugoslavia, Arab countries, Iran and Afghanistan. The majority of Muslims in Germany are Sunnis, at 75%. There are Shia Muslims (7%) and mostly from Iran.

Turks, who constitute a major portion of the peaceful "parallel society" in Germany, are well established and are running major businesses across Germany, specially in provision of Halal meat. One can easily find number of famous Turkish "Donor Kebabs" shops which are a haven for all Muslims. Likewise, most of the mosques are owned by Turkey, followed by many by the Arabs and some by Pakistanis. 

A Turkish Kebab shop, Germany

There is a large number of students from Pakistan studying in universalities of Germany and then rendering useful hand in German industries and companies. My two sons are also in Germany and have done their Masters in IT and are employed in one of the leading companies of Germany. The Pakistan students' communities are well managed in all major cities which frequently hold national days of Pakistan, besides other cultural events

My wife poses with our son at the entrance of his university in Kiel, Germany

Generally, the Muslims are a useful part of German society and when I visited Germany in 2014, I found them practicing their religious obligations side by side their routine activities meshing perfectly well in the German society. The prayer halls and mosques are in abundance and are well organized and managed by local communities.

Herein under are impressions of a Pakistan living in Munich for quite sometimes: [7]

• Germans are generally very accommodating and don't do racial/religious jokes because of their own tragic history. International people also take a lot of care not to make any Nazi/Hitler joke with any German because it's a very sensitive topic. If a Muslim goes to bar and asks for non alcoholic drink, no one is surprised. Though in some cases Germans might ask you for the first time but if you tell them you are Muslim and don't drink alcohol then they won't ask you second time or make a joke of it. 
• One Pakistani living in Munich observes that: "Majority of Germans specially the young generation are very tolerant and don't care what media tells them. If they are curious then they will ask you instead of giving a verdict on what they came to know from media. This was really impressive and totally unlike how majority of Americans are brainwashed by Fox News about Muslims and Islam. I myself organized a vigil in Munich city center in response to the tragic attack by the terrorists in school in Peshawar back in Dec, 2014 in Pakistan. I was easily given permission for that and in fact, there were 2 policemen with us throughout for our safety. Many Germans stopped and took part in the prayers along with a big number of international community who specially came for the vigil."
• Overall, I believe life of Muslims is much more comfortable in Germany as compared to living in Italy, UK or France considering current scenario. Angela Merkel didn't take any anti-Islam stance after Charlie Hebdo attack unlike France and UK. Muslim families are encouraged to integrate with the society and learn German language but I haven't heard anyone complaining that any individual/organization forced to abstain from any religious practice. 

After the recent flux of the immigrants due to open door policy of Germany, many social issues have come up. While majority of the immigrants are peaceful and are trying to learn German language and seeking admission in colleges and universities to be a useful citizen of Germany, some foul incidents have been over magnified, like the incident of a "brutal killing" of a German man, allegedly at the hands of two Muslim refugees. [4] Although many murders do take place in Germany every day, but since it involved a Muslim and Germans, it seems the incident had been blown out of proportion. 

As per a Pew Research Center report: "In general, Germans express positive views of refugees, with most saying they make Germany stronger because of their hard work and talents (59%), rather than being a burden by taking jobs and social benefits (31%). Most Germans also see Muslims in their country in a positive light: Roughly two-thirds say they have a “very favorable” (10%) or “mostly favorable” (55%) view of Muslims, compared with about three-in-ten who express a mostly (23%) or very (6%) unfavorable opinion. At the same time, there is widespread uncertainty about integration. A majority of Germans (61%) believe most Muslims in Germany “want to be distinct from the larger German society,” rather than adopting “Germany’s customs and way of life.” [4]

There is yet another dimension to the thinking in Germany: To many non-Muslim Germans, the comparatively high significance that many Muslims attach to divine laws raises the question of to whom all the immigrants and refugees who have come to us in recent years would rather pledge allegiance and loyalty: the state that took them in, or Allah? The German minister for the interior, Horst Seehofer, addressed this fear with a sentence that was meant as a reassurance to voters: “Islam does not belong to Germany,” earlier this year.  [3]

As a fallout of growing anti Muslim sentiments, in 2017, Muslims and Islamic institutions were targeted by attacks 950 times, where houses are painted with Nazi symbols, hijab-wearing women are harassed, threatening letters are sent and 33 people were injured. In nearly all cases, the perpetrators were right-wing extremists. [2]

Thus today, Muslims live in Germany between a wide wedge of higher shade Love / acceptance and varying shades of hate / mistrust, trying to merge into the German society.

Here now watch a short but comprehensive documentary of Muslims in Germany from the beginning till date:

Photo (Header): Zentralmoschee Köln | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

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