Questions, not abuse, welcomed by your Muslim neighbours
Tuesday, 23 February 2021
Mercy and compassion are the cornerstone principles of the Koran and those who live by it are being tested on the streets of Waikato towns.
Sabah Al-Zafar is the Imam for the Waikato region and has been visiting regional towns, with a group of supporters, in an attempt to educate Kiwis about Islam and Muslim people.
“In Raglan we had one guy who came up to us and said, you should write on your sign, bunch of gay f….. Muslims.”
In Huntly, a man who saw the group standing together with their signs, which said “Meet Your Muslim Neighbour” or “Ask a Muslim a Question” told them there was “no place for Islam in NZ”.
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“When we stand in these towns, we want to set an example, show compassion. I brief my team not to talk back like that,” Al-Zafar said.
“Those people have got misunderstandings and if we fire back with words, it won’t get us anywhere.”
Al-Zafar said he let the man in Raglan know that Muslims believed in equal rights, whatever people’s sexual orientation was.
“I said to him, you can’t be homophobic and demeaning of the LGBT+ community, don’t do that.
“And that point he wasn’t sure what to say. He seemed very liberal but had a lot of criticisms of Muslims that were unfounded.”
Al-Zafar said the two encounters showed there was still work to be done to dispel myths and misconceptions around Islam but there was also lots of positive feedback from people.
He was involved in a similar national initiative launched after an Otago University study showed people who follow the news are more likely to have anti-Muslim sentiments.
It involved inviting the public to “meet a Muslim” at a local café to chat about Islam and ask questions.
The latest initiative, for the Waikato, was run by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community youth, who promote: “Muslims for Peace. Love for All. Hatred for None”.
“Some people might not feel comfortable sitting in a café so this is a little bit different where we are on the streets making ourselves more accessible to the public.”
Al-Zafar was often asked why the Muslim community was so forgiving after the attacks on Christchurch mosques in 2019.
“The prophet Muhammad forgave the enemy who killed his daughter who was pregnant, that is the example he gave us.
“We don’t take the law into our own hands, the act of one individual does not reflect on the entire community.”
His team exercised mercy and compassion when on the blunt end of criticism while out on the streets of Waikato towns.
They were in Cambridge on Monday and armed with just a single sign, the group walked along Victoria Street with a few people stopping for a chat.
Next week the group will be in Thames.
“If you have certain criticism or allegations, or if something doesn’t quite make sense, approach us and we’ll try to help remove those misunderstandings.
“Some people have never met a Muslim, never read the Koran, but have these negative sentiments towards us.”
Al-Zafar was born in Japan, grew up in Australia and studied Masters in Theology in the UK.
He worked in Tokyo for three years and then moved to New Zealand about a year and a half ago to live in Hamilton and work as the Imam for Waikato.
He said the Discover Islam NZ website had frequently asked questions which he often points Kiwis towards.
It covered topics such as equality between men and women, women pursuing careers, Islam’s view on Christianity, non-Muslims in Mosques, the concept of the Hijab and marriage.
Al-Zafar doesn’t think Hollywood movies played a role in anti-Muslim thought but more eduction in the media around Islam would be ideal.
“You tend to see the words Islamic and terrorism put together in the news which is labelling terror with Islam.
“And so these things are bound to cause confusion in the minds of readers, it’s going to influence people to believe a certain way.”
In New Zealand, Al-Zafar thought there needed to be more work to investigate the ideology behind attacks, right-wing extremist activities or views, rather than just focussing on the person who committed the crime.
“For example the shooter at the Christchurch mosques, there must have been someone or something that radicalised his way of thinking, but often that is not identified.”
Al-Zafar said that’s why he made an effort to speak with journalists, to offer perspective and to “balance things out”.
“We are trying to do something positive by talking to people on the street and offering people a chance to have their questions answered.”