Māori Muslims

Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast

Since the Christchurch mosque terror attacks in 2019, conversion to Islam, especially among Maori, has skyrocketed. But Maori interest in Islam has been building for a few years. The Qur’an was translated into Te Reo Māori in 2008, the culmination of a long project.

What connects Maori and Muslims, what's the attraction and what happens when Islam and Maori customs collide?

Guests:

• Ayca Arkilic – Senior Lecturer in Comparative Politics at Victoria University of Wellington. Current research with a project grant from Royal Society of NZ: Embracing Islam: Conversion, Identity, and Belonging in Aotearoa New Zealand

• Noeleen van de Lisdonk – Co-founder of Ōu Mātou Reo (nation-wide network of Māori Muslims) and was a Kāpuia Ministerial Advisory Member to the Government’s Response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques