|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/0,2106,3067355a6005,00.html
Muslim Faith Draws Converts from NZ Prisons
(Star Times-New Zealand) Tim Hume - Maori prison inmates, many of them gang members, are converting to a militant, politicized brand of Islam, drawn by a fascination with al-Qaeda. "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 and a staunch Maori nationalist. "They think it's all about fighting Europeans." 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.