Recently in New Zealand Category

A press release from the New Zealand First party. I am not in New Zealand and know little about this party, but Winston Peters, the party leader and a member of the New Zealand Parliament, raises a good point in this press release: will New Zealand live under one system of laws, or declare Muslims exempt from them? From the New Zealand First site, with thanks to Paul Nilsson:

Rt Hon Winston Peters has suggested that a veiled Muslim woman who told a judge she would rather kill herself than reveal her face while giving evidence in an upcoming fraud case might be better off living in a Muslim country.

A hearing was held in Auckland yesterday to determine whether two Muslim women have to remove their burqas in the upcoming case. They claim that to do so would be embarrassing and against their religion.

Mr Peters said it was a simple case about whether New Zealanders lived under one set of rules for all or whether these rules could be bent or broken to fit in with newcomers.

"We have a system of open justice and that means the demeanor of witnesses in court cases can be seen by the judge, jury and counsel. Only in truly exceptional and serious cases can a witness be seated behind a screen or barrier.

"Most New Zealanders would be disturbed that a person prefers suicide to complying with reasonable court rules was living in their midst.

"People who come here from countries with extreme religious views and customs should seriously think about resettling where practices of covering up faces are the norm."

Mr Peters said he was also concerned that Muslim women were permitted to wear veils when photographs were taken for drivers' licences.

"This is ridiculous. How do police identify people wearing what amounts to a mask?

"If people come to New Zealand they should fit in with our systems. If they prefer to kill themselves, we say that they would be better off living somewhere else.

"You only have to look at Europe to see the chaos caused by importing people with extreme religious views," Mr Peters concluded.

That's for sure.

From The Australian, with thanks to Nicolei:

TERRORISTS may be using New Zealand as a "safe haven" to plot attacks or obtain passports, according to the country's security chief, who has already denied citizenship to three people with suspected terror links.

But the three unnamed individuals were still in New Zealand, Security Intelligence Service director Richard Woods said yesterday, signalling he was frustrated they had not been expelled.

New Zealand was realising physical isolation did not make it immune from terror, he said in Wellington. "We are identifying more people in or from New Zealand who are of terrorist or other security concern," he said. "In the year 2002-03 I objected to three people getting citizenship."

Asked what the three were suspected of planning or doing, he said: "I referred earlier to the safe haven concerns."

In response to a question about whether he was unhappy about their remaining in the country, Mr Woods said: "You should make your own judgment on that."

Mr Woods's rare public remarks brought a terse response from the Government. "New Zealand is not a safe haven for terrorists," Prime Minister Helen Clark said.

Immigration Minister Paul Swain said the SIS had not objected when the three applied for residency several years ago.

"However, (the SIS) became aware later of security concerns, which is when it recommended they be declined citizenship and consequently a New Zealand passport. The SIS has not recommended their residency be revoked," Mr Swain said.

The SIS is under fire over the case of Algerian detainee Ahmed Zaoui, an elected Algerian parliamentarian who fled the country after a military coup in 1992. He has been held in an Auckland prison for more than a year because the SIS suspects he has terrorist links, despite being granted refugee status.

Security scares are not new. In 2000, Auckland police announced they had discovered a group of Afghan refugees plotting to blow up Sydney's Lucas Heights nuclear reactor, although they had insufficient evidence for a trial. The men still live in Auckland.

Also yesterday, New Zealand announced a review of security for visiting ships after HMAS Success was daubed with graffiti in Wellington Harbour on Monday reading "J Howard US Bootlicker".

Miss Clark said she was "concerned" at the attack and Foreign Minister Phil Goff said it showed a terrorist could have blown up the ship.

Terrorists could launder money or obtain weapons in New Zealand, Mr Woods said.

"Individuals may simply use New Zealand as a place to lie low for a while, perhaps acquiring citizenship and then travelling overseas on that immensely valuable document, a New Zealand passport," he said.

New Zealand passports enabled wide travel "without attracting much attention, and there are visa-free arrangements for a number of countries", he said. New Zealand passport-holders are automatically granted visas when entering Australia.

A Muslim spokesman has called for death for homosexuals on New Zealand television. Responding to protests, the dhimmis at the television network said that "the programme was a religious address by a mullah concerning issues raised by the Koran. The television company acknowledged some of the comments could be viewed as 'rather extreme' but it had 'reason to believe' the comments were a genuinely held belief of followers of Islam."

"Rather extreme," eh? It's useful to remember that contrary to a good deal of overheated rhetoric claiming otherwise, the Christian "Religious Right" in America does not call for death for homosexuals. This is a uniquely Islamic phenomenon, which of course we will be seeing much more of in the West in the years to come.

Also, note that the station has to broadcast an apology. But what about the imam? From Stuff.co.nz, with thanks to Twostellas:

A television channel has been ordered to broadcast an apology for comments on air by a visiting Muslim lecturer who advocated death for homosexuals.

Speaking on Triangle Television's Voice of Islam, Brother Abdullah Hakim Quick said Aids was caused by homosexual practices, that homosexuals were dropping dead from Aids and wanted "to take us all down with them". They were "sick" and "not natural".

In the programme, broadcast last September, Mr Quick said the Islamic position on homosexuality was death.

"Muslims are going to have to take a stand (against homosexuals) and it's not enough to call names."

The Broadcasting Standards Authority called the comments "hate speech" and has told Triangle it must broadcast a full retraction, an apology from the programme's producer and an explanation of why the complaint was upheld.

When the company received the complaint it maintained broadcasting standards were not breached. But chief executive Jim Blackman on Saturday accepted the ruling.

"We originally felt that the speaker was entitled to have his say, but we now fully accept the Broadcasting Standards Authority ruling."

Triangle Television has operated as a non-profit public broadcaster in Greater Auckland since August 1998 and developed a solid following with a mix of access, public broadcast and ethnic programming. It has just announced plans to launch in Wellington.

The complaint was laid by Doug Clayton, who said the comments were "a hateful and bitter diatribe against homosexuals".

Triangle responded by saying the programme was a religious address by a mullah concerning issues raised by the Koran.

The television company acknowledged some of the comments could be viewed as "rather extreme" but it had "reason to believe" the comments were a genuinely held belief of followers of Islam.

One Muslim leader last night backed the complaint.

An executive member of the Council of Christians and Muslims, Ashraf Anwar, said Islam condemned homosexuality, as did Christianity and Judaism.

"But no one person has the right to dictate and particularly in the name of Islam."

There are about 30,000 Muslims in New Zealand.