Muslim women in New Zealand

Brief Introduction
New Zealand is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, located
south of the equator in the Southern Hemisphere, and marking the
eastern boundary of the Tasman Sea, a portion of the Pacific Ocean
that separates New Zealand and the nearest large landmass, Australia,
by a distance of about 1,600 km )1,000 mi(.New Zealandincludes two
large islands that constitute most of its landmass, as well as
numerous small islands.New Zealandadministers two overseas
territories, Tokelau and Ross Dependency )inAntarctica(. The
self-governing entities ofNiue and the Cook Islandsare in free
association withNew Zealand, whichhandles their foreign affairs and
defense as requested.
New Zealandis known for its scenic landscapes of snowcapped mountains
and rolling green pastures. Its image as a farming outpost stems from
the traditional importance ofagriculture to the economy as well as the
low population density inmost areas. However, the majority of New
Zealanders live in urban areas, and many now earn a living in service
industries such as tourism. The capital ofNew ZealandisWellington. The
largest and most cosmopolitan city isAuckland.
New Zealandis part of thePacificIslands, or Oceania, a grouping of
thousands of islands in thePacific Ocean. The South Island and the
North Island of New Zealand areOceania's second and third largest
islands, respectively.New Zealandis considered part of Polynesia, one
of three major divisions of thePacificIslands.
The total land area ofNew Zealandis 267,990 sq km )103,470 sq mi(,
about the same size asJapanor theBritish Isles. The North and South
islands make up almost the entire area of the country. Separating
theseislands is Cook Strait, a channel between the South Pacific Ocean
on the east and theTasman Seaon the west. The islands stretch along a
predominantly northeast by southwest axis. Their length from north to
south is about 1,600 km)1,000 mi(, and their maximum width from east
to west is 450 km)280 mi(
Land is one of the country's most valuable resources. Much of the soil
is not naturally fertile, however, and has to be supplemented with
fertilizers for crop cultivation. More than half of the land area is
either cropland or pastureland. Most of the arable land is found on
the east coasts of both islands, in particular the Canterbury Plains.
Pastures for livestock grazing dominate in north-central and
westernNorthIslandand southernSouth Island.
About 30 percent of the land area is forested. The country has 6.4
million hectares )15.8 million acres( of old-growth forest, much of
which is designated for preservation. In addition,some forests are
plantations of imported species such as the radiata pine. The
westernSouthern Alps of theSouth Islandconstitute the largest forested
area of the country and include extensive areas of native forest.
TheNorthIslandhas native forest mainly in more remote areas, notably
aroundMountTaranakiand in isolated pockets ofNorthland.
In 1840,New Zealandwasde-linked fromAustralia, but in 1907 it became a
separate, independent country, under the BritishCrown, and when the
British Commonwealth ofNations was set up in 1931 it became one of the
founding members and is still a member.
The majority of the population )74 percent( is Anglo-Saxon, with the
indigenous Maoris making up only 10 percent of the population, others
who neither Maoris nor Anglo-Saxons make up four percent, an ethnic
group that is made up of ethnic Indians and Chinese.
Seventy percent of the population is Christians, and the rest belong
to different religious denominations.
Muslims inNew Zealand
Muslim migration toNew Zealandstarted in 1910, when the first waves of
immigrants from the Indian subcontinent started to arrive, as workers
in search of livelihood.
Since they were not allowed then to bring their wives and other family
members with them, they remitted theirearning to their families back
home, visitng them from time to time.
However, in the mid-1940s, the Muslims living inNew Zealand, for the
first time, began to bring their wives from the subcontinent.
These womenfolk were mostly housewives, though some of them took up
employment as menial workers or domestic helpers, when their husbands
were at work.
But while the first generation of Muslim women inNew Zealandhad to
contend with loneliness and confinement to the home, the second
generation is faced with a different set of problems, namely
maintaining a balance between Islamic tenets and precepts, and the
secular education that is imparted on them at schools, with all its
concomitant moral and religious implications.
One result of the latter is the loss of respect for parents, who, the
youth consider as backward and unschooled.
Other problems faced by the Muslim woman inNew Zealandinclude the
preservation of the Islamic identity, racial discrimination, absence
of Islamically lawful food,inability to be married to the right
person, and even in wearing the proper school uniform.
None the less things are beginning to improve forthe Muslim women
ofNew Zealand, in that they have started to organize themselves,
andare, in fact, holding an annual assemblies, during which they are
able to project some of the problems facing themin the society.
They also hold regular seminars and camps, at which they are able to
learn more about their Muslim faith, and debate some of the issues
affecting them.
Though some of the Muslim women have made worthwhile academic
accomplishments, and some of them have established themselves
invarious fields, generally there is a tendency toward trying to
achieve more in the field of religion, so that they could preserve
their Islamic identity.