Islamic Tolerance Alert. “Cafe owner defends booting out Israeli women,” from Newstalk, January 15 (thanks to Model7):
An Invercargill cafe owner who says refusing to serve two Israeli women was one small protest from the bottom of the South Island.
Mustafa Tekinkaya, who is Muslim and originally from Turkey, asked the two women to leave his Melvana Cafe after hearing them speak Hebrew and establishing they were Israeli .
He says his actions were a protest over the conflict in Gaza where 1,000 people have now died, half of them women and children.
“And they are killing our future. The human future. And I just wanted to like make a voice, as one little man in the bottom of the South Island.”
Mr Tekinkaya says he is happy the women have complained loudly about his actions, as that is exactly what he wanted. He says he enjoyed the reaction when he refused them service.
“One woman I didn’t serve made huge noise. I love it, I love it – it’s how I want it to be.”
Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres says refusing to serve the women because they are Israeli is a clear breach of human rights. He says whatever the rights or wrongs of the Palestinian situation, it is against the law for providers of goods and services in New Zealand to discriminate in such a way.
Mr de Bres says it is important people respect the right of others to hold a different opinion and not discriminate against them on that basis.
But Mr Tekinkaya remains unrepentant and is unconcerned about any complaint to the Human Rights Commission.
“This is my side. If they’re taking their side they are not welcome in my shop.”