Opposition To Conference About Islam In New Zealand

"A group of hard-core, professional Islamophobes from Australia are coming to New Zealand in a few days time to spread a message of hatred towards Muslims and Islam," said RAM organiser Grant Morgan... "These right-wing Australian bigots are out to poison the minds of fundamentalist Christians".

Who are these 'Islamophobes' and bigots' you might ask...

This statement is from the Press Release of Residents Action Movement (RAM) which held meetings in Auckland on the weekend. They invited George Galloway, a left-wing UK MP expelled from the Labour Party, to speak about 'Peace'.

They are referring to Rev Dr Stuart Robinson and the 'Mosques and Miracles' conferences held in NZ last week.

They miss the irony of their name-calling compared with Stuart's response (as reported in the NZ Herald).

He sticks to the facts of his argument.

"Their books teach that they [Muslims] are the best of all people, that they want to rule over the whole world," he said.
"One can't object to that. Christians also are on a mission from God to make disciples, but we make disciples of Jesus, who was quite a different entity from the example of Muhammad." He said Muslim theology "teaches that war has to be prosecuted against the infidel until the day of judgment when Jesus Christ returns". . .

Please pray for Stuart and Margaret and the team - they have now completed their NZ conferences. Please also pray for the Christian organisations who organised the conferences in New Zealand: Open Doors, Middle East Christian Outreach, Asian Outreach, Interserve and Vision Network.

This report includes all available media articles.
Then a response from the Muslim spokesperson - who also spoke at the RAM meetings.
Then the RAM Press Release and finally the details of their meetings...

1. Media Articles
2. Muslim response
3. RAM - Residents Action Movement Press Release
4. Meeting details

1. Media Articles

Evangelist - Muslims want 'to rule over whole world'
New Zealand Herald, Saturday July 28, 2007  
Christians are being urged to stand up against what a visiting author says is a Muslim push to take over the world.
Pastor Stuart Robinson, Australian author of the book Mosques and Miracles, has drawn about 200 people to a conference in Greenlane this weekend aimed at revealing what he says are the true dangers of Islam.
Meanwhile, rebel British left-wing MP George Galloway is expected to attract about 450 people to a rival meeting in Freemans Bay tonight to condemn Mr Robinson's "islamophobia".
Mr Galloway, who was expelled from the British Labour Party in 2003 for opposing the invasion of Iraq, has been brought here by the Residents Action Movement, which plans to campaign against islamophobia in October's local body elections.
Mr Robinson's two-day Mosques and Miracles conference has been organised by missionary groups Open Doors, Middle East Christian Outreach, Asian Outreach and Interserve, with support from the Vision Network of evangelical churches. The programme said Mr Robinson "pioneered church planting among Muslims", working for 14 years in a predominantly Muslim South Asian country he would not name.
He said most Westerners did not understand that Islam taught that peace would prevail in the world only when the Muslim religion predominated.
"Their books teach that they [Muslims] are the best of all people, that they want to rule over the whole world," he said.
"One can't object to that. Christians also are on a mission from God to make disciples, but we make disciples of Jesus, who was quite a different entity from the example of Muhammad."He said Muslim theology "teaches that war has to be prosecuted against the infidel until the day of judgment when Jesus Christ returns".
Unlike Christianity, which offered salvation simply through faith, he said Islam taught that the only sure way to paradise was to die as a martyr for the faith. "That becomes an enormous recruitment device for a lot of the suicide bombing that we see," he said.
But Mr Galloway, a Catholic who has backed the Palestinian cause for 32 years, said New Zealand's 45,000-strong Muslim community was moderate and law-abiding and had never carried out any terrorist acts.
"Have you seen any signs of New Zealand's Muslims launching a jihad [holy war]?" he asked. "Of course you haven't. These people [Mr Robinson's followers] are trying to place fear and hatred in the hearts of ordinary New Zealand people against peaceful neighbours."
He said statements at a Mosques and Miracles conference in Wellington on Wednesday that good Muslims must kill Christians and Jews would be illegal under a British law passed last year to ban religious hate speech. New Zealand does not have such a law.
"One of the reasons we have it in Britain is the prevalence of this kind of anti-Muslim hate propaganda which becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy," he said. "If you generate hatred against Muslims, you will get a reaction from young Muslims seeking to defend their community."
Mr Galloway's public meeting is at the Auckland Girls Grammar School Theatre, Howe St, at 7.30 tonight.
The Mosques and Muslims conference is closed to the public but Mr Robinson will preach at the venue, the Greenlane Christian Centre, at 9am, 10.45am and 7pm tomorrow.
At http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=171&objectid=10454377&pnum=0

NZ set to be islamic debate battleground

By REG PONNIAH - NZPA | Thursday, 19 July 2007 - posted on 'Stuff NZ'
New Zealand is set to be a verbal battleground for pro- and anti-islamic groups when outspoken advocates of each visit this month.
Left-wing maverick British MP George Galloway is to visit on July 27-28, about the same time as Australian right-wing Baptist pastor Stuart Robinson.
Pro-islamic Mr Galloway was expelled from the British Labour Party for opposing the United States-led war in Iraq.
He shot to world recognition in May 2005 when he testified before the United States Senate to reject allegations of taking money from Saddam Hussein to help Iraq break American trade sanctions.
During his appearance, Mr Galloway turned the tables on pro-war politicians by charging the administration of President George W Bush with war crimes in Iraq.
The organisers of his visit to New Zealand – Residents Against Movement (RAM) – said it would help the organisation in its campaign against Islamophobes.
RAM spokesman Grant Morgan told NZPA yesterday Mr Galloway was an internationally recognised figure and his presence in New Zealand was welcomed.
In contrast, Mr Morgan said Mr Robinson would promote disunity among Christians and Muslims.
Mr Robinson's book Mosques and Miracles called for the "mother of all spiritual wars" to be fought against "evil" Islam, Mr Morgan said.
"The people who are coming from Australia are hard-core professional, extreme right-wing Islamophobes. "They are not interested in reasoned, rational arguments."
Mr Galloway was to speak against Islamophobia at two meetings in Auckland. Islamophobia is racism against Muslims.
The Galloway meetings were open to the public and media, he said.
Mr Robinson would address closed meetings, Mr Morgan said. NZPA calls to the organisers of the Robinson visit were not returned.
"If their message was wholesome, why would they try to hide it from scrutiny by the public and the media?" Mr Morgan said.
Mr Galloway would not meet New Zealand MPs or government representatives, Mr Morgan said.
After being expelled from the Labour Party, Mr Galloway formed his own party, Respect, and was re-elected in 2005.
The allegations against Mr Galloway were laid to rest in March, when the London Metropolitan Police and the British Serious Fraud Office said he had no case to answer.
But yesterday (Tuesday) a House of Commons disciplinary panel called for the suspension of Mr Galloway for concealing his financial dealings with Hussein's government.
The Commons Standards and Privileges Committee found he had concealed the true source of the funds for a charity he set up.
It recommended he be suspended for 18 days.
Green Party MP Keith Locke told NZPA he would be happy to meet Mr Galloway in New Zealand. "I have already emailed him. I have not got a reply yet but I hope to have a short conversation with him."
Mr Locke said he and Mr Galloway had a lot of common ground on various issues. "We are very much impressed with him in his stand on Iraq."
Mr Locke said he understood Mr Galloway represented a constituency that had a sizeable Muslim population and they were very supportive of him during elections. "I'm sure Mr Galloway's message will be one of harmony between religions." 
At http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4132348a11.html

Controversial British left-wing speaker to visit Auckland
TV 3, NZ - Fri, 27 Jul 2007

The controversial left-wing British MP George Galloway is due to begin a two-day visit today.
His trip is being organised by the Residents Against Movement group, and is timed to coincide with the arrival of an Australian right-wing Baptist pastor, Stuart Robinson.

The group accuses the pastor of trying to promote Islamophobia, or racism against Muslims.

Galloway will speak at two Auckland meetings.

He was expelled from the British Labour Party for opposing the US-led war in Iraq.

http://www.tv3.co.nz/News/Story/tabid/209/articleID/31443/Default.aspx

2. Muslim response

FIJIAN MUSLIM EXPOSES AUSSIE 'CONFERENCES OF BIGOTRY'
Date: 27 July 2007
Auckland 6am: An Australian group accused of Crossing the Ditch to promote "Islamic Bashing" has been exposed today by the Fiji-born spokesperson for New Zealand's Muslim community.
Javed Khan, the president of the Federation of Islamic Associations, says the group revolves around Baptist Pastor, Stuart Robinson, the author of the book, Mosques and Miracles.
Khan says Robinson teaches that Islam is a worldwide threat and that even Aotearoa is at risk.
Khan told Pacific Radio News the group have tried to reassure him that their nationwide meetings are not "conferences of bigotry" but says he finds that hard to believe. (listen)
The controversial conferences kicked off yesterday but its leader, Murray Dillner,  declined to be interviewed by Pacific Radio News.
Another Vision Network leader,  Glyn Carpenter, did speak with us, and defended the conferences as preaching a message of love.
Carpenter says the Australian speakers are here to share their experiences of Islam and to urge Christians to love Muslims, not hate them. (listen) 
But the spokesperson of the group that's supporting Javed Khan (The Residents Action Movement), Grant Morgan, says he doubts their sincerity. (listen)
Labour MP,  Dr Ashraf Choudhary, today also spoke out, saying the "Australian preachers of hate" are not welcome. (listen) 
At http://www.niufm.com/?t=3&View=FullStory&newsID=2241

3. RAM - Residents Action Movement Press Release

Community leaders support Voices of Peace
Sunday, 22 July 2007, 1:39 pm
Press Release: Residents Action Movement Media release on Voices of Peace
22 July 2007

Community leaders support Voices of Peace

British MP George Galloway will be speaking against Islamophobia in Auckland on 27-29 July at Voices of Peace meetings hosted by RAM, the Residents Action Movement. (Meeting details below.)
"A group of hard-core, professional Islamophobes from Australia are coming to New Zealand in a few days time to spread a message of hatred towards Muslims and Islam," said RAM organiser Grant Morgan.
"These right-wing Christian extremists claim that Islam is the 'anti-Christ'. They claim that Muslims are 'on the march' to take control of countries like New Zealand. They claim that Muslims will destroy democracy here and force everyone to 'submit' to Islam, or else face being enslaved or killed They call for the 'mother' of all 'spiritual wars' to be waged against 'evil' Islam."
"These and similar racist claims are the theme of a 400-page book titled 'Mosques and Miracles' which is the ideological framework for their New Zealand conferences of the same name. The lead speaker at these conferences is the book's author, Australian Baptist preacher Stuart Robinson."
"These right-wing Australian bigots are out to poison the minds of fundamentalist Christians at closed-door conferences in Auckland and Wellington They want to incite hundreds of people into forming the core of a highly political campaign against New Zealand Muslims and their faith," said Grant Morgan.
"Ironically, the organising body of their closed-door conferences is Open Doors, a fundamentalist Christian group operating on both sides of the Tasman as well as in many other countries. The closed-door secrecy of Open Doors highlights their deliberate use of misleading language, such as their fraudulent claims to really 'love' Muslims."
The phone number for Open Doors New Zealand is (09) 620 4200. Their Mosques and Miracles conferences are advertised at www.meco.zuyouth.com
"RAM is organising Voices of Peace as a positive alternative to their racism against Muslims," said Grant Morgan.
"RAM supports the values of social inclusion, equal rights for all and world peace. We are heartened by the groundswell of support that Voices of Peace is receiving from grassroots people and their community leaders."
The broad support for Voices of Peace can be seen in the following statements by community leaders:

EMILY COLGAN
Organiser of the Auckland Council of Christian, Muslim & Jewish Youth.
"The NZ Council of Christian, Muslim & Jewish Youth is highly supportive of any endeavour to encourage religious coexistence. We strongly assert our vision of harmony between faiths through mutual understanding to counter those whose views are divisive and promote ignorance and intolerance. Thus we strongly support the Voices of Peace initiative as a demonstration of hope in a world unnecessarily perceived as being divided between competing religious ideologies."

PAUL G. BUCHANAN
Director of the Working Group on Alternative Security Perspectives.
" New Zealand has more to fear from tsunamis than it does from Islamic terrorism because it has no history of meddling in the affairs of Islamic countries. However, since 9/11 New Zealand has adopted a more hostile policy towards Muslim immigrants and has increased scrutiny of the resident Muslim population. This policy is exactly the type of scapegoating and discrimination that breeds resentment amongst disenchanted elements of targeted communities. By any objective criteria, Islam poses no threat to the Kiwi way of life unless New Zealand authorities and the public continue to ostracise Muslims simply because of who they are."

JAVED KHAN
President of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand.
"While Muslims in New Zealand generally live in peace with others, Muslims in other countries are not so lucky. I hope that George Galloway will enlighten New Zealand on the plight of Muslims facing a rising tide of Islamophobia. This racism against Muslims is linked to the so-called 'War on Terror', which was never sanctioned by the United Nations. It was simply a ploy of the superpowers to plunder the rich resources of the Middle East. To defeat terror and religious extremism, Muslims, Christians, Jews and all others should practice a 'unity in diversity'. This will surely lead to peace and harmonious co-existence for all humanity. All faiths have a common theme of working for peace as a basic condition for leading lives acceptable to God Almighty. This was the message of all our prophets and seers of all ages."

ROBYN HUGHES
RAM councillor on the Auckland Regional Council.
" New Zealand is a small country, so Kiwis know what it is to be a minority. That's why Kiwis get in behind the All Blacks and Team NZ when they represent our small nation in David and Goliath events. It is this camaraderie that makes us unique as a people. We support those who are doing brave and courageous things. This generosity of spirit extends to standing up for those who are being bullied. We won¹t put up with it. While not a believer, I will defend anyone's right to their religion, so long as they do no harm to others. The Muslims I have met are kind and loving people, unlike religious bigots who spout their hatred of those who do not share their beliefs."

MAAN ALZAHER
Organiser of the Working Together Group within the Muslim community.
"We in New Zealand have been enjoying peace. Let's stand together to defend it and close the door on the messengers of hate. All of us, black and white, Pakeha and Maori, Muslims and non-Muslims, believers and non-believers, should stand shoulder to shoulder to deny the messengers of hate a foothold on our islands. We are the majority, they are the minority. Let our voices of peace be loud."

BRUCE KEELEY
Co-president of the NZ Council of Christians & Muslims.
"The National Statement on Religious Diversity was recently adopted in draft form as a basis for ongoing discussion within our nation. It seeks to provide a framework for the recognition of New Zealand's diverse faith communities and their harmonious interaction with each other and with other groups in society. This positive initiative stands comfortably alongside the work of the Council of Christians & Muslims which promotes mutual understanding and respect between our two faith communities. Voices of Peace provides yet another voice for the building of an inclusive, just and non-discriminatory society in Aotearoa/New Zealand, a vision which CCM thoroughly endorses."

NIBRAS KARDAMAN
Young Muslim woman speaking at Voices of Peace university meeting
"New Zealand is known as a country that respects the values and cultures of its citizens, irrespective of their origins and background. New Zealanders are not people who tolerate injustice, or acts of hatred and prejudice. Positive race relations and religious acceptance have become important features of this society's attitudes, and Muslims have taken part in building and shaping this country over the last century. People who encourage intolerance, misunderstanding and hate towards Muslims in this country do so from a position of ignorance about Islam. Inclusion, rather than community division or marginalisation, is the New Zealand way. It's the way forward for the future."

JOHN HINCHCLIFF
Vice-chancellor emeritus of AUT University and Auckland City councillor.
"More than ever before, with the huge arsenals of nuclear, bacteriological and chemical weaponry, we must learn to respect and affirm our differences of belief. Every religion seems cursed to have its supply of fanatics. We must embrace those many Muslims who share with so many Christians the ways of love, peace and respect for everyone, regardless of their beliefs or backgrounds. Those self-righteous fanatics among every religion, including Christianity and Islam, who affirm a faith that engenders violence and hatred must be challenged to find the true teachings of their prophets and theologians."

4. Voices of peace - Auckland meetings
(Part of RAM Press release)
GEORGE GALLOWAY will be addressing these two meetings:

TOWN MEETING
7.30pm, Saturday 28 July.
Auckland Girls Grammar School Theatre.
16 Howe St (off Karangahape Rd).
The three other speakers are:
• JAVED KHAN, president of Federation of Islamic Associations of NZ.
• PAUL BUCHANAN, international security analyst & director of the Working Group on Alternative Security Perspectives.
• GRANT MORGAN, organiser of RAM - Residents Action Movement.
Limit of 800 seats, so those interested are being advised to get there early. NO DOOR CHARGE. Donations will be accepted. Off street car parks available.

UNIVERSITY MEETING
6.30pm, Friday 27 July. [NOTE: Meeting starts a half-hour later than first advertised.]
Venue to be confirmed, but will almost certainly be the Library Basement, University of Auckland, Alfred St, central city.
The three other speakers are:
• NIBRAS KARDAMAN, young Muslim woman & representative of the Working Together Group.
• HANNAH SPIERER co-leader of Greens on Campus.
• GRANT MORGAN, organiser of RAM - Residents Action Movement.
NO DOOR CHARGE. Donations will be accepted.

Both meetings OPEN TO THE MEDIA.
ACTIVIST WORKSHOPS
There will also be Voices of Peace workshops where the nature of Islamophobia will be examined by Muslims and non-Muslims and moves made towards forming a broad activist network which will campaign against racism and other social injustices. George Galloway will give the introduction.
2-5pm, Sunday 29 July.
Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings.
Limit of 250 participants, so those interested are being advised to get there early. Plenty of off street parking. NO DOOR CHARGE. Donations will be accepted.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0707/S00252.htm