Kiwi converts to Islam

 

 

Many Converts in New Zealand

Kiwi converts to Islam

 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/voices/audio/2018708670/kiwi-converts-to-islam

 

“I was always kind of searching for my place and to fit in because I never really fit in anywhere” said 22-year-old Megan Lovelady.

The Canterbury resident felt called to Islam and converted to become Muslim after the Christchurch mosque attacks.

There are no official nationwide figures on Muslims here but indicators suggest a growing interest in the Islamic faith.

For example thousands have visited mosques and taken Qurans or other literature. In Manawatu they are setting up a database to better support new converts.

Imam Nizamul Haq Thanvi of the International Muslim Association of New Zealand said in the few weeks after the attack, three to five people a day had converted at a Wellington mosque. For another month after that it was one or two a day.

In Manawatu the local Muslim Association Chair, Zulfiqar Buton, has met six converts and has heard of many more.

In Otago they ran out of materials at a recent open day and are planning another while Auckland mosques also reported more visitors.

Megan now regularly attends the Al Noor Mosque – one of the two mosque sites of the March attacks.  

Megan was confused about life before the attacks and felt she wasn’t really sure where she was going. 

The hospitality worker had migrated with her family from America to New Zealand when she was seven-years-old. Christchurch was where they settled down in.

But a few years ago, personal tragedy struck when she watched her boyfriend get hit by a train.

“After that,” Megan says tearfully, “I was like ‘why me?’ – why did I have to go through that?"

“If God is so mighty and he could do anything, why couldn’t he save me from having to go through that? It pushed me away even further from wanting to be faithful.”

Following years of feeling spiritually and emotionally lost, the events after 15 March 2019 led to a profound change in her life. 

At Hagley Park for Friday prayers along with thousands of others still reeling from the attacks, the Imam’s prayers deeply moved Megan.

“It was rhythmic and it made me feel inside,” said Megan. “I wanted to join in to do the movements but I didn’t know how - so I just stood there and I cried.”

On reflection, Megan said it feels like she's always been a Muslim.

Since her conversion, she has been visiting the mosque every day, reading the Quran and other Islamic literature as well as spending time with other Muslims learning about the practices of her new faith. 

“I actually feel more at home and more a part of a community than I ever have in my life," she said. "Allah was calling me home."

Rob Dewhirst’s journey started in Indonesia decades ago. 

“I had a spiritual gap,” he said. “I did go to church but it didn’t seem to fulfil that gap.”

He was living in Sumbaya with Muslims, including his future wife, when he became impressed with their way of life.

Rob grew up in the Waikato region and, as a young man, joined an international development charity. The civil engineer was sent on assignment and worked to improve access to water in remote areas and communities.

“When I was in Indonesia and went to the project in Sumbawa, I met a chap by the name of An-Jung.  The thing that amazed me about An-Jung was his patience. He was calm and things just happened,” he said. “[An-Jung] had a great aura about himself.”

“Perhaps the biggest barrier was my upbringing and that the image I had of Islam was these wild people that hijacked aircraft and were always blowing things up,” he said.

“That had a huge negative impact on me and when I went to Indonesia,  that was the overriding image that I had of Islam.”

Rob and his wife had four children in Indonesia and eventually settled in New Zealand in 1997. The couple have now been married for 33 years already.

Imam Thanvi said that all sorts are coming.

"Pākehā, Māori, former Christians, even one Hindu," he said.

From a family of Islamic scholars who live all over the world, the Imam said none of them have ever seen anything like it.

 

 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/voices/audio/2018708670/kiwi-converts-to-islam

 

 

 

 

New Zealand to observe Muslim prayer after mosque attacks

https://www.apnews.com/9999bf8e19bb454eb1e7b29cfaf448a3

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — In a day without precedent, people across New Zealand were planning to observe the Muslim call to prayer Friday as the nation reflected on the moment one week ago when 50 people were slaughtered at two mosques.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and thousands of others planned to congregate in leafy Hagley Park opposite the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch to observe the call to prayer at 1:30 p.m.

Thousands more were planning to listen in on the radio or watch on television as the event was broadcast live. The prayer was to be followed by two minutes of silence.

Fahim Imam, 33, of Auckland, flew in Friday morning from New Zealand’s largest city for the service. He was born and grew up in Christchurch but moved away three years ago.

“It’s just amazing to see how the country and the community have come together — blows my mind, actually,” Imam said before the event.

“As soon as I got off the plane, I saw a sign someone was holding that said ‘jenaza,’ denoting Muslim funeral prayer. Others were offering free rides to and from the prayer service,” Imam said.

“The moment I landed in Christchurch, I could feel the love here. I’ve never felt more proud to be a Muslim, or a Kiwi for that matter. It makes me really happy to be able to say that I’m a New Zealander,” he added.

He called it surreal to see the mosque where he used to pray surrounded by flowers.

The observance comes the day after the government announced a ban on “military-style” semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity magazines like the weapons that were used in last Friday’s attacks.

At least 42 people died at the Al Noor mosque and at least seven others at the nearby Linwood mosque after a white supremacist gunned them down.

An immediate sales ban went into effect Thursday to prevent stockpiling, and new laws would be rushed through Parliament that would impose a complete ban on the weapons, Ardern said.

“Every semi-automatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on Friday will be banned,” Ardern said.

The gun legislation is supported not only by Ardern’s liberal Labour Party but also the conservative opposition National Party, so it’s expected to pass into law. New Zealand does not have a constitutional right to bear arms.

Among those planning to attend Friday’s observance was Samier Dandan, the president of the Lebanese Muslim Association in Sydney and part of a 15-strong delegation of Muslim leaders that had flown to Christchurch.

“It was an ugly act of terrorism that occurred in a beautiful, peaceful city,” Dandan said.

He said his pain couldn’t compare with that of the families he’d been visiting who had lost loves ones. He was inspired by their resilience, he said.

“And I’ve got to give all my respect to the New Zealand prime minister, with her position and her actions, and it speaks loud,” he said.

Ismat Fatimah, 46, said it was sad to look at the Al Noor mosque, which was still surrounded by construction barricades, armed police officers and a huge mound of flowers and messages.

“We’re feeling stronger than before, and we are one,” she said.

She said she prayed for the people who died.

“I’m just imagining what would be happening last Friday,” she said. “People were running around so scared and helpless. It’s just not right.”

Erum Hafeez, 18 said she felt comforted by the overwhelming response from New Zealanders to the tragedy:

“We are embraced by the community of New Zealand, we are not left behind and alone.”

There are nearly 250,000 licensed gun owners in New Zealand, which has a population of 5 million. Officials estimate there are 1.5 million guns in the country.

Ardern said people could hand over their prohibited guns under an amnesty while officials develop a formal buyback scheme, which could cost up to 200 million New Zealand dollars ($140 million).

The government said the police and military would be exempt. Access for international shooting competitions would also be considered.

The man charged in the mosque attacks had purchased his weapons legally using a standard firearms license and enhanced their capacity by using 30-round magazines “done easily through a simple online purchase,” Ardern said.

Although the exact weapons used in the mosque attacks have not been announced, images posted by the gunman show at least one of them to be a semi-automatic rifle similar to an AR-15 that is widely available in New Zealand.

Ardern’s announcement came as authorities said all 50 bodies from the attacks were formally identified.

A 28-year-old Australian white supremacist, Brenton Harrison Tarrant, was arrested by police who ran him off the road while he was believed to be on his way to a third target. He had livestreamed the attack on Facebook and said in his manifesto he planned to attack three mosques.

Tarrant, 28, is next scheduled to appear in court on April 5, and Bush said investigations were continuing. Police have said they are certain Tarrant was the only gunman but are still investigating whether he had support. He has been charged with one count of murder and more charges are expected to follow.

Workers at the Al Noor mosque have been working feverishly to repair the destruction from the attacks, said imam Gamal Fouda.

“They will bury the carpet,” he said, “because it is full of blood, and it’s contaminated.”

Fouda said he expects the mosque to be open again by next week and that some skilled workers had offered their services for free.

The gun prohibition includes semi-automatic guns or shotguns that can be used with a detachable magazine that holds more than five rounds. It also applies to accessories used to convert guns into what the government called “military-style” weapons.

The ban does not apply to guns commonly used by farmers and hunters, including semi-automatic .22 caliber or smaller guns that hold up to 10 rounds, or semi-automatic and pump-action shotguns with non-detachable magazines that hold up to five rounds.

https://www.apnews.com/9999bf8e19bb454eb1e7b29cfaf448a3

.