While the March 15 terrorist was not on the intelligence agencies’ radar, Haamid Ben Fayed has been. He hopes the inquiry will be a chance to address the systemic discrimination faced by Muslims in this country – but, as he tells Jo Malcolm, he doesn’t hold out much hope for change. Haamid Ben Fayed thinks … Read more
The six-month trial of police armed response teams, introduced in the wake of the Christchurch attacks, ended on Sunday. An evaluation is expected in June, but we don’t need to wait until then to know that routinely arming police isn’t the solution, says Anjum Rahman. On dark winter nights last year, I went to the … Read more
Mahvash Ali writes about growing up in Pakistan, why she can never move back, and how her mindset changed with March 15. If I had a dollar for each time I’ve been told to go back to where I came from, I would be there right now fixing the problems that made us leave in … Read more
In recent weeks, Christchurch-based Muslims have contributed to the One Year On project, telling their stories in their own words. Here we share a selection. Siham Alsalfiti: ‘Love makes you happy, hatred burns you‘ We were hurt, badly hurt. It’s still incomprehensible, it’s still very difficult that we lost Abdul who was a caring dad, … Read more
A new poem by Mohamed Hassan. The Guest House In this house we have one rule: bring only what you want to … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: March 15 memorial service to go ahead, more travel restrictions likely to be announced, and moves against migrant exploitation in spotlight. Unless there is a last minute cancellation, commemorations of the March 15 mosque attacks will be going ahead this weekend. Stuff reports that because of a … Read more
Renu Sikka reminisces about discovering the delicious Ramadan foods of her Muslim friends while growing up in India, and shares a traditional recipe. “The holy month of Ramadan is a time for generosity, prayer, fasting, self-restraint, and peace. It’s a time to reflect on our lives and to take a moment to think about other … Read more
The current discourse around Muslim women is narrow-minded and short-sighted, writes Nidha Khan. There are Kiwi-Muslims still grieving. There are Kiwi-Muslims still numb, upset, scared, angry, and emotionally exhausted. And, in such a time, it is deeply upsetting and unsettling for commentators like Heather du Plessis-Allan to re-ignite narrow-minded conversations about how wearing the hijab … Read more