Muslim In New Zealand Have Been There A Long Time

The history of the Muslims in New Zealand can be dated to the late 1800s when a group of Chinese gold diggers arrived in the country. This was followed by three important Muslim families from India, who went to the country in the early 1900s. In about 1951 there were a lot of 60 Muslim men who migrated to New Zealand from Europe.

The Islamic organization in the country was formed in the year 1950. In 1959 the group of Muslim immigrants worked together, and raised money to buy a house to convert it into a Muslim centre. The year after this, a Muslim imam arrived in the country followed by several Muslim students. This group of people helped build the Islamic centre into a better place.

A lot of prayer rooms and Islamic centers were built too. There was a very small Muslim population in the country, at this time till several years later. A national Muslim body was formed in the year 1979, Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand. Since he had contributed a lot to the Muslim community in the country, the government honored him.

During the 1970s, a large number of Muslim groups began migrating to New Zealand of Fiji Indian origin. This number became vast after the coup in their country in 1987. There were also several other Muslim immigrants from the rest of the world, from Bosnia, Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan. All these Muslim families fled their countries due to war.

There are a lot of Muslims from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. There are several Muslim students from Singapore and Malaysia too. Though the Muslim converts are not large in number, there seems to be a slow rise in this area too. The Muslims have made this country their home, and there are several mosques besides two Muslim schools.

The number of Muslim residents in New Zealand is estimated to be around 25,000. The government is more concerned about ethnicity than the religion, as there are more than 42 ethnic groups, who belong to the Muslim society alone. These Muslims are known to be very harmonious in their relationship with the others. But some politicians have questioned their loyalty to the country.

A cartoon controversy arose, when the New Zealand media published Danish cartoons. The Muslims were offended and asked them to retract their information, which the journalists refused to do. The Muslim leaders gathered together with the media, and tried to solve this issue. The media agreed not to publish any furthur offending cartoons.

The members of the Muslim world agreed, and requested all other Muslim nations not to boycott New Zealand products. This Muslim society in this country has known to be the most passive, and have set an example to all other Muslim people across the world. They have proved that because they live in someone else’s country, they must respect their democracy. This is the best aspect of these Muslim nationals in New Zealand.