Posted on 10/17/2004 2:38:21 AM PDT by NZerFromHK
Maori prison inmates, many of them gang members, are converting to a militant, politicised brand of Islam, raising concerns among sections of the Muslim community.
Converts are being drawn to the faith through anti-Pakeha sentiment and a fascination with al Qaeda and the radical chic of African-American Muslim icons such as Malcolm X. "The ones coming in, their reasons are they admire Osama bin Laden," says Te Amorangi Izhaq Kireka-Whaanga, leader of the Aotearoa Maori Muslim Association. "They think it's all about fighting Europeans."
An Islamic convert of seven years and a staunch Maori nationalist, he sees tino rangatiratanga as a jihad, and says Islam is the perfect vehicle for Maori nationalism.
"We (Muslims) have the principle of taqwa...being godfearing. We fear nothing and no one but God. We don't fear Helen Clark, we don't fear George Bush.
"What God says, we do."
Census figures show the number of Maori Muslims increased from 99 to 708 in the 10 years to 2001. But Kireka-Whaanga said numbers had shot up since September 11, as global media focused on radical Islam.
Kireka-Whaanga travels to prisons conducting dawaa, or preaching visits. The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) pays his travel costs.
FIANZ vice-president Mustafa Farouq said about 30 inmates nationwide were receiving dawaa visits, conducted in the belief that inmates who converted were less likely to reoffend.
While some in the Muslim community are uneasy about the push to convert inmates, academics and political commentators interviewed by the Sunday Star Times, including Maori Party co-leader Dr Pita Sharples, and Chris Trotter, point to parallel developments overseas.
According to a local blogger, what the Sunday Sneer Whines did not report (no doubt for PC reasons) was "Kireki-Whaanga feels the attack in Beslan was Islamically legitimate".
Radical Islam is coming from everywhere...find the roaches and kill them!!!!
Faith based ministries.
It's Bush's fault.
Notice how Islam has its cake and eats it, too. It's praiseworthy to rape and kill children in the name of world hegemony. They'd even eat their own if it meant Muslims took control of one country after another. My eldest son teaches psychology at the U. of Canterbury. He was educated in Cambridge, MA and swallowed the liberal line in its entirety. He thinks NZ is a socialist paradise and is as happy as a clam at high tide. (He also does considerable work in the prison system, although not with gangs, per se). I'm not hoping NZ receives a lethal taste of Jihadism, but wonder what he and other elitists will say when it happens. And it will.
Why keep letting the Islamofascists infiltrate free nations? Cast them out!
SE, have you heard anything of this? I have only been here for a few months but thought that this sort of thing would be a natural fit for the disenfranchised Maori. It's creepy to see that it's going on.
Same with Black Muslims in the U.S.
,,, the money trickling thru to Maori activist groups via government channels will have to be audited closely... Helen could be seen to be funding friction if it came down to the crunch.
Fire Helen and hire shaggy!
Islam is able to convert many of the most violent members of society to convert. I just hope they manage to keep themselves behind bars.
,,, biggest possiblr BUMP!!! LOL
Bump the Bump! :)
It did - in the paper's hard copy. They omitted quite a big chunk of the article on line.
I saw this later on a blog post, but forgot to report here. Apologies for this.
Maori are not disenfranchised as a group. More over, those of them who are really poor, uneducated and fight for making everyday living, don't engage in this kind of crap.
"Anti-capitalist" alliances, "Maori nationalism", and now the new vogue - Islam, are all in the middle class domain. It's either pure opportunists or those who bit off a chunk of education bigger than they'reable to swallow.
There was no one (NO ONE!) proletarian amongst communist leadership of the Evil Empire; there was no one downtrodden (disenfranchised) fellah amongst the terrorists of 9/11...
And the most militant Maori activists have usually about 1/16th of Maori blood, cozy family trust and huge share of governmental handouts for the "grievances" of their ancestors. If scared enough, politically correct politicians will try to appease Maori converts to Mohammedanism... and the result will be more and more of metsizo Maori "academics" jumping on the new gravy train.
call them terrorists and treat them accordingly
,,, in time, what's the bet it will come to just that?
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