Minority lobby groups have issued an “election ultimatum” to New Zealand’s political parties demanding new policies on “hate” and “social cohesion”.
The ultimatum was made in a joint statement attributed to Abdur Razzaq from the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand, and shared by signatory Daljit Singh from the Supreme Sikh Society of New Zealand.
It was also signed by Vinay Karanam of the New Zealand Hindu Council, Ibrar Skeikh of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand, and Robert Hunt of the New Zealand Buddhist Council.
The statement, titled “Ethnic and faith leaders give election ultimatum to political parties on hate provocation”, outlined the groups’ concerns about “incitement and provocation”, and warned they were not being taken seriously.
“When it comes to the hate-filled incitement to burn down mosques and temples, the 18.4% of the ethnic voting population of New Zealand receives well-intentioned lip-service at best and absolute silence at worst from political party leaders,” Mr Razzaq said.
“When innocent worshippers have to stand guard and employ security to secure safety of mosques, temples and gurudwaras, and when the ethnic and faith community voices are ignored with platitudes, the only option that remains in a democracy is the party-vote option.
“We want to see what the specific fit-for-purpose policies are with respect to such hate and the need for social cohesion. As ethnic and faith leaders, we will make these policies known to our communities for their decision-making on the party vote.”
The statement appears to be a response to a recent video by Destiny Church founder Brian Tamaki where he brought up Christian churches being burned in India and asked: “If they’re burning churches down, why don’t we burn mosques and their temples down? Tit for Tat.”
Mr Tamaki’s comments sparked demands from Hindu groups for police to take action, but the Christian leader denied calling for violence and said on social media his statement had been “deliberately misrepresented”.
“I was drawing a comparison with the persecution of Christians in India and asking how people would react if the situation was reversed. Hence my statement ‘Tit for Tat’,” he said on social media earlier this week.
“I was not calling for violence. I am not a violent person.”
Mr Singh, who has a conviction for electoral fraud, on Tuesday also shared statements from the New Zealand Jewish Council and his own New Zealand Central Sikh Association condemning Mr Tamaki’s comments.
“The Buddhist, Jewish, Chinese, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities of New Zealand stand together in expressing our deep concern about comments and rhetoric that promote division, hostility, or hatred towards people based on their religion, ethnicity, or cultural background,” he wrote.
New Zealand’s next general election is scheduled for November 7.
Header image: Mr Singh and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (NZ PMO).
