INL May 1 2019 Digital Edition

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16 MAY 1, 2019 Ramadan Special Two Centuries on, Muslims foster their fraternal bond Hajji Abdullah Drury The first Muslims to visit New Zealand were Lascars, Asian Sailors, who worked on board European vessels. Recent research by Dr Todd Nachowitz has revealed that two Indian Muslim sailors toured the Northland Coast in December 1769 on a French ship named the Saint Jean-Baptiste. The Crew Muster Roll included ‘Mamouth Cassem’ (presumably Mahmud Qasim) and a 16-year-old Bengali named ‘Nasrin.’ Following, many British East India Company ships with Lascar crews and even a few sepoys (Indian soldiers) visited New Zealand. The first Muslims The first Muslim family to reside permanently arrived in April 1854, when Wuzerah and his family entered Lyttelton in 1854 and settled in Cashmere, in the Canterbury Province, to work for Sir John Cracroft Wilson (1808-1881). Wuzerah was also involved in transporting stone from the Port Hills to the Christchurch Cathedral when it was constructed. He died in 1902 and was buried in Sydenham, Christchurch. From the 1890s, men from the Punjab and Gujarat regions of India Sydenham, Christchurch; Gravestone for Wuzerah, died 1902 ‘Ice Cream Charlie’, Press, January 28, 1939 (Page 19)-Sali Mahomet from Turkmenistan, Christchurch ice cream vendor, died 1943. started arriving and after the 1930s, some of these men or their sons began to bring wives and children. Growth of Associations The first Islamic organisation in this country was created in 1950 when the “New Zealand Muslim Association” (NZMA) was formed in Auckland. At the time, there were about 200 Muslims in the entire country. In 1951, ‘MS Goya’ brought Death Certificate of Ahad Baksh Malik, Hawker and Shopkeeper of Arrowtown, Otago, 1890-1918 dozens of Muslim refugees from Eastern Europe to Wellington. In 1959, NZMA acquired a property for use as an Islamic Centre in Central Auckland and the following year, Maulana Ahmed Said Musa Patel (1937-2009) arrived from Gujarat to serve NZMA as the first official Mullah. The Association erected the first purpose-built mosque in New Zealand over 1979-1980, in Ponsonby, Central Auckland. Over the 1960s and 1970s, there was an influx of East European, Asian and Fiji Indian migrants, refugees and students who made various contributions to the different Muslim communities across the country. Over 1962-1964, the Wellington-based ‘International Muslim Association of New Zealand’ was formed and in 1977 the ‘Muslim Association of Canterbury.’ In 1979, there were about 2000 Muslims in New Zealand and agents of the various Muslim Associations convened to construct a nation-wide Muslim organisation to coordinate communal affairs at a national level, particularly with regard to Halal. FIANZ established In April 1979, the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) was created and in 1984 the Federation secured its first annual Halal meat contract with the New Zealand Meat Producers Board. In 1982, Sheikh Khalid Kamal Abdul Hafiz (1938-1999) from India arrived to serve as Imam in Wellington. From the 1980s, there has been a steady growth in the number of Muslim immigrants, refugees and students. The first purpose-built Mosque in the South Island was constructed in 1984-85 by the Muslim Association of Canterbury. In 2004, they hosted the National Islamic Converts Conference. The Otago Muslim Association was formally registered in July 1995 and the Southland Muslim Association in April 2008. Rising Population According to the 2013 census there are presently 47,799 Muslims in New Zealand: around 21% were born in the Pacific Islands, 25% in New Zealand, 23% in Africa and the Middle East and 26% in Asia. These statistics revealed that more than 32,000 Muslims live in Auckland and that 20,000 Muslims in New Zealand identified themselves as Asian. The integration of Muslims in New Zealand Society has developed over 150 years of peaceful coexistence. Hajji Abdullah Drury is the author of ‘Islam in New Zealand.’ He lives in Hamilton. References: Drury, Abdullah. Islam in New Zealand: The First Mosque (Christchurch, 2006). ‘Mostly Harmless’, Waikato Islamic Studies Review, Volume 1, Number 1, March 2015, pp.29-49. Once Were Mahometans: Muslims in the South Island of New Zealand, mid-19th to late 20th century, with special reference to Canterbury (Thesis, Master of Philosophy (MPhil)), University of Waikato, Hamilton (2016). ‘Mahometans on the Edge of Colonial Empire: Antipodean Experiences’, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Volume 29, 2018, Issue 1, Pages 71-87. Quality advice is assured through Wishing you a shower of Blessings during the Holy Month of Ramadan We providetailor-madesolutionstoindividual migrantsand their families seeking to study,work, invest,dobusinessand live in NewZealand permanently Level1-166 Harris Road, East Tamaki, Auckland 09 272 4424 021 144 6641 admin@ianzl.co.nz Like us on “facebook” www.facebook.com/immigrationadvice www.immigrationadvicenz.com INLM&S30052016001
MAY 1, 2019 Ramadan Special 17 Venkat Raman Ramadan (or ‘Ramzan’) the Holiest Month in the Islamic Calendar will begin on or around May 5 this year, requiring Muslims to abstain from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to dusk. They will also be required to pray at specified hours and break their fast with a special prayer after sunset. Piety, sacrifice and giving alms to the poor and needy are among the sacred duties of every Muslim during the Holy Month. Means of Salvation According to the Muslim faith, it was during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar that the Holy Quran, the sacred book, “was sent down from heaven, guidance unto men, a declaration of direction and a means of Salvation.” This is also the time of the year when Muslims concentrate more on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. In the Arab world, where this writer lived and worked for more than two decades, governments, philanthropists, welfare organisations and community groups offer alms. The Red Crescent Society (The International Red Cross is so called in these areas) offers rice, wheat, vegetables and fruits and other essentials to the needy. “Fasting is one way of realising the true state of hunger and the Holy Month is devoted to understanding the sufferings of some sections of the society. Abstinence from pleasures of life (all entertainment and night club activities are suspended during the Month, even after dusk) including sex with spouses helps Muslims to concentrate on the teachings of Islam,” a religious leader said. At the end of the day, the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the Iftar. In the evening following the Iftar, it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. The fast is resumed the next morning. It is also customary for commercial and industrial undertakings in the Arab world to host special dinners after Iftar for staff and clients, at least once during the Holy Month. Pregnant women, children, those A Holy Month for abstinence and sacrifice in poor health and suffering from certain types of ailments including diabetes are exempt from fasting, in addition to Muslims travelling overseas. But many travellers do observe the fasting hours, irrespective of their schedules. According to the Holy Quran: “One may eat and drink at any time during the night ‘until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight: then keep the fast until night" The Muslim Faith also states that the good accruing from fasting can be nullified by the following: telling a lie, slander, denouncing someone in his or her absence, a false oath and greed or covetousness. While these are considered offensive at all times, the offense is believed to be multifold during Ramadan. Significant dates Muslims also spend several hours praying and studying the Holy Quran. Many Mosques conduct special classes for both Muslims and non-Muslims keen on learning the teachings of the Holy Book. In addition to the five daily prayers, a special prayer is recited during Ramadan. Called, ‘Taraweeh,’ this night prayer is usually longer. Steadfast Muslims spend the entire night in prayer in Mosques. Laylat Al Qadr or the Night of Power is observed on the evening of the 27th day of Ramadan. Muslims believe that it was on this night that Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) received the revelation of the Holy Quran. According to the Holy Book, this is also the time when God determines the course of the world for the following year. Muslims in New Zealand The Muslim community in New Zealand, comprising citizens, migrants and visitors will also observe Ramadan as its members congregate in Mosques for daily prayers and take up social work after dusk. Ramadan this year will remind us of the death of fifty innocent men, women and children in Christchurch Mosques on Friday, March 15, 2019 and the fifty other people injured in a mindless massacre. We are a caring nation, and there is no evidence of any root of terrorism amongst us. We are a tolerant society, home to more than 200 ethnicities speaking 160 languages and there has never been any sign of intended harm; we may have occasionally felt a tinge of racism here and there, but never to a scale that would lead to massacre. We live in a corner of the world, untouched by terrorists. But hatred, terrorism and a penchant for mass murder apparently exists elsewhere. Indian Newslink greets its Muslim readers, advertisers and well-wishers on the occasion of the Holy Month of Ramadan and wishes them success in all their pursuits.
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