Islam In New Zealand - The First Mosque
By Abdullah Drury

Paperback. 154 pages / 33,000 words. Black & white photos. Brand new copy.

Islam is without doubt one of the fastest growing religions in New Zealand and also one of the least understood by the general public. Yet Muslims have been living in this country for over a century - peacefully and conscientiously. New Zealand Muslims have proved it perfectly possible to remain devout and faithful to Islam and at the same time function effectively in a modern Anglos-Saxon Western society.

The New Zealand Muslim Association is the oldest Islamic institution in this country. The first mosque in New Zealand, and the definitive heart of Islam in this country, was built twenty years ago in 1979 in Ponsonby, central Auckland. It represented the culmination of thirty years hard work and effort on behalf of the immigrants and refugees who were the driving force behind its construction. The building marks the collective turning point from being a group of expatriate migrants to becoming the foundation stone of the New Zealand Muslim community, and stands as a milestone in the history of the wider Muslim community across the land.

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Islamicity.com

An area of history, which still remains in the shadows of today's ingrained and accepted tale of Western dominance is the history of Muslim Africans. The tribulations and triumphs of Muslim Africans translates into a rich and vibrant history, a past of honour and a future of hope. From their explorative voyages in early centuries, their cultural assimilation under the scourge of slavery in the United States and the Caribbean, to their triumphs as re-defined citizens in today's world, Muslim Africans-today African Americans, African Canadians, and Caribbean's-have a past of which to speak.

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IslamOnline.net & News Agencies

JABALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip — For Palestinians, the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan that started Saturday, September 23, is likely to be the most austere in years. Chances of celebrating in style are remote.

"Lamb? What do you expect me to buy a lamb with?" counters Ahmed Hassan Makdad when asked about the menu on offer at home for the holy month.

He was queuing at the UN food distribution centre in Gaza's biggest refugee camp.

Around him, dozens of fellow Palestinians squeeze against the grilled ticket windows at UNWRA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, like Ahmed to collect rations of flour, oil, rice and sugar in the Jabaliya refugee camp.

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The Daily Star (Lebanon)

Malaysian society is now gripped by a fundamental question: Is the country, which is more than half Muslim, an Islamic state? In practice, various religious and ethnic groups give Malaysia a distinctly multi-cultural character. But the Malaysian Constitution provides room for arguments on both sides of the question, and the relatively secular status quo is facing a serious challenge.

Drafted by a group of experts in 1957, under the auspices of the country's former British rulers, the constitution includes two seemingly contradictory clauses. On the one hand, Article 3 states that Islam is the religion of the federation, and that only Islam can be preached to Muslims. On the other hand, Article 11 guarantees freedom of religion for all. As a result, Malaysia has developed both a general civil code, which is applied universally, and Islamic law, which is applied only to Muslims in personal and family matters.

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