Islamic Women’s Council New Zealand
Press Release
Sunday, February 12, 2017
It is very disappointing but not surprising, watching the video of Mehpara Khan being attacked in Huntly, to see this kind of event happening. Muslim women are often the ones who bear the brunt of attacks by strangers in public places.
We appreciate the struggles of tangata whenua in seeking justice and redress, and we as Muslims feel an obligation to ensure justice for the people of the land. Our community is diverse, and a number of our Muslim sisters are tangata whenua.
We would be happy to meet with the young woman attacker in the video, and to have a dialogue with her about our contributions to New Zealand.
We condemn all forms of racism and bigotry, and we hope action is taken in this case. We encourage all Muslim women to report instances of harassment and abuse, either to us or the Human Rights Commission, and to the New Zealand Police where appropriate. We offer our support to the victims of this attack.
Link to video of attack: https://twitter.com/mehparak/status/830303373576376321
Contacts: Anjum Rahman 021 023 61412 kiwistars@gmail.com
Aliya Danzeisen 022 1302478 aliyad@yourwowma.com
