http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411749/810064
NZ Islam celebrates long history
Aug 8, 2006
World events in the past few years have often cast Islam in a negative
light, but this week Kiwi Muslims are celebrating Islam's long history in
New Zealand.
The country's history of Islam is over 130 years old, dating back to the
arrival of Chinese muslim gold miners in 1874.
And while many of the 30,000 Muslims now living in New Zealand are new
migrants, around 4,000 kiwi Muslims are Maori or of European descent.
It is this diversity that Islam Awareness week hopes will help change the
way New Zealanders view Islam.
"Their [kiwis] understanding about Muslims is that this is a very new breed
of people coming to this country and they do not understand our culture they
do not know how to behave...that is totally wrong," Javed khan
As the presence of Islam has continued to grow, so too has its acceptance.
At Auckland's Mt Albert Pak n Save supermarket, muslim staff are now able to
kneel in a special prayer room.
But the manager who made it possible says it's not about political
correctness but about getting the most out of his staff
"I have a 30% staff roll over, some supermarkets in New Zealand have 100%
staff roll over. We only have a couple of vacancies a week out of 320
employees. We have a line up of people coming to work here," says manager
Brian Carran.
It is contributions such as Carran's which are being recognised in Islam
Awareness week.
"In return they get 110% from these employees as a result of which his
profit has increased, his sales have increased and he's a very happy
employer," says Federation of Islamic Association spokesperson Javed Khan.
Mt Albert's Pak n Save is also flexible with its rosters to accommodate
Somali workers who need to return to Africa for long stretches.
And while the history of Islam in New Zealand may be long, Carran says it is
time to recognise it.
"We have special needs here. This is not white Anglo Saxon New Zealand
anymore, this is multicultural New Zealand."
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