Snapshots of the past

Two young men who pleaded guilty to vandalising Auckland mosques in the wake of the London bombings earlier this year were yesterday sentenced to imprisonment for their "outrageous desecration". Jason Paul Molloy, 19, of Nelson, and Ross Baumgarten, 18, of Auckland, were sentenced in Manakau    District Court to one year each on seven charges of intentional damage. To read the complete    article, click here.


   PEACE IN ISLAM:   Ahmed Zaoui, Auckland University, September 21, 2005

I could not help but feel touched the first time a New Zealand friend said salaam aleikum to me. The familiarity of the greeting, and the warmth with which it was said, made me feel a little closer to home, my native country Algeria. Reflecting on that experience recently, it occurred to me how much that simple greeting says    about Islam. Salaam aleikum means ‘peace be upon you’, to which one replies alaikum    assalam, ‘peace be upon you too’. To read the complete lecture, click here.


   THE IRANIAN AMBASSADOR:   The Dominion Post, September 17, 2005

"Have another pistachio nut," says the Axis of Evil's representative in New Zealand. The nuts are heaped in a small dish on a glass-topped coffee table with ornately carved legs in the Iranian embassy, overlooking Evans Bay. "No, thanks," says The Dominion Post's photographer, but Kambiz Sheikh-Hassani,    Iran's ambassador to New Zealand, insists. "Please, please, have more," he says. To view the    complete article, click here.


   JAIL FOR WRITER OF HATE MAIL:   The Dominion Post, September 15, 2005

Wellington's Muslim Somali community has extended the hand of friendship to a man who terrorised its members with his hate-filled letters. The 53-year-old Hutt Valley man who has admitted writing 30 abusive letters to Muslims all over New Zealand was jailed yesterday for six months. His name and details remain    suppressed till his bid for permanent suppression can be heard in the High Court in 13 days    time. To view the complete article, click here.


   NEW ZEALAND MUSLIMS DIVERSE:   Touchstone, September 2005

Though they share core understandings and values, New Zealand's Muslims are not a monolithic community. They are divided along many lines including nationality, language, and ideology. New Zealander Abdullah Drury converted to Islam in his 20s. He says the diversity among Muslims is analogous to the    situation among Christians. To view the complete article, click here.


   MUSLIM SCHOOL MUST DO BETTER:   Miles Erwin in NZ Listener, September 3, 2005

New Zealand's only Muslim state school is failing to reconcile its special Islamic character with the requirements of the education curriculum, despite being around since 1992. The latest Education Review Office (ERO) report raises staff discrimination, favouritism, community divisions and an inability to provide a safe    staff environment as major issues... To view the complete article, click here.