The Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand (IWCNZ) is a national

umbrella organisation An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and iden ...

for Muslim women in New Zealand that was formed in 1990. The group is organised into regional chapters. Its activities have included educational classes, counselling, lecture tours, sports events, annual conferences, youth camps, and charitable activities. IWCNZ has also represented Muslim community interest at the

New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament () is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Monarchy of New Zealand, Sovereign and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by his Governor-General of New Zeal ...

, various government ministries and agencies, the media, civil society and various national and international forums.

Functions and structure

The Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand's stated vision is to help "Muslim women reach their full potential through participation and collaboration in community life in

Aotearoa ''Aotearoa'' () is the Māori name for New Zealand. The name was originally used by Māori in reference only to the North Island, with the whole country being referred to as ''Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu'' – where ''Te Ika-a-Māui'' means N ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

with the guidance of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

and the

Sunnah is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed, and passed on to the next generations. Diff ...

." Its stated mission is to "always endeavor to co-ordinate and develop various activities that provide help, guidance, personal growth and development for all sisters in Islam with inspiration from the Holy Quran." The IWCNZ consists of a national body and several regional branches. The national body has organised national conferences, lecture tours, youth camps and workshops. The regional branches have organised various programmes and activities including educational classes, counselling and support services, sports events, food banks and prison visits. By 2019, IWCNZ had established regional branches in several cities including

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

and

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

. Nominated regional representatives also serve on the IWCNZ's full council, which is part of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ). The full council also elects a five-member Administration Council, which governs the IWCNZ at a national level. The IWCNZ has also represented Muslim community interests in the

, government ministries and agencies, the media and various national and international forums related to faith, human rights, youth development and health.

History and advocacy work

The IWCNZ was established during a national hui (meeting) in 1990, formally coming into existence in 1991. While women were represented in the leadership of other Muslim organisations such as the New Zealand Muslim Association, the IWCNZ was founded to cater to the needs of Muslim women in New Zealand.

Aliya Danzeisen Allyn Sue Danzeisen , known as Aliya Danzeisen, is an American–New Zealand lawyer, teacher and the national coordinator of the Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand (IWCNZ). Danzeisen was appointed an Honorary Member of the New Zealand Orde ...

served as its first president while

Anjum Rahman Anjum Nausheen Rahman (born 16 July 1966) is a New Zealand Muslim community leader and human rights activist who advocates for the rights of Muslim women. Early life and family Rahman was born on 16 July 1966 in the village of Mahuwara in th ...

served as its first secretary. Between 2014 and 2018, the IWCNZ lobbied the

New Zealand Government The New Zealand Government () is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand. As in most other parliamentary democracies, the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch, and more specifica ...

and several government departments and statutory bodies including the

Department of Internal Affairs The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA; ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with issuing passports; administering applications for citizenship and lottery grants; enforcing censorship and gambling laws; registering births, ...

New Zealand Security Intelligence Service The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS; ) is New Zealand's primary national intelligence agency. It is responsible for providing information and advising on matters including national security (including counterterrorism and count ...

, the Ministry of Social Development, the Office of Ethnic Communities and

Human Rights Commission A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...

about the Muslim community's concerns with

Islamophobia Islamophobia is the irrational fear of, hostility towards, or hatred against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general. Islamophobia is primarily a form of religious or cultural bigotry; and people who harbour such sentiments often stereot ...

, "Jihadi brides", media misrepresentation and counter-terrorism legislation. The IWCNZs' leaders Danzeisen and Rahman sough to ensure that Muslim feedback was included in the public policy process and to combat anti-Muslim prejudice in New Zealand society and the media particularly the

alt right The alt-right (abbreviated from alternative right) is a far-right, white nationalist movement. A largely online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late 2000s before increasing in popularity and establishing a ...

. The IWCNZ also developed a working relationship with Race Relations Commissioner

Susan Devoy Dame Susan Elizabeth Anne Devoy (born 4 January 1964) is a New Zealand former squash player and senior public servant. As a squash player, she was dominant in the late 1980s and early 1990s, winning the World Open on four occasions. She serve ...

. Following the

Christchurch mosque shootings Two consecutive mass shootings took place in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 15 March 2019. They were committed by a single perpetrator during Friday prayer, first at the Al Noor Mosque in Riccarton, at 1:40p.m. and almost immediately afterwards ...

on 15 March 2019, the IWCNZ represented the Muslim community in the media and sought to highlight Muslims' and other ethnic communities' experiences with discrimination and abuse. The IWCNZ also issued a submission to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the mosque shootings calling on security services to extend their intelligence gathering to

White supremacists White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine o ...

and the

and advocated efforts to help and improve the well-being of the Muslim and other communities in order to combat extremism. In February 2021, the IWCNZ's spokesperson Anjum Rahman urged the Government to implement the Royal Commission's recommendations into government policy and legislation. Following the outbreak of the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

in early October 2023, IWCNZ urged the New Zealand Government to speak out against human rights abuses and violations in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

. In March 2024, IWCNZ national coordinator Aliya Danzeisen criticised the National-led coalition government for failing to implement

hate speech Hate speech is a term with varied meaning and has no single, consistent definition. It is defined by the ''Cambridge Dictionary'' as "public speech that expresses hate or encourages violence towards a person or group based on something such as ...

legislation and create a new intelligence agency, two of the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch mosque shootings. Danzeisen however credited the previous Sixth Labour Government for implementing new firearms legislation in response to the shootings. In August 2024, IWCNZ launched a social media campaign called "Just CHILL NZ" to promote understanding of Muslim women and to combat negative stereotypes about the Islamic faith.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand Islamic organisations based in New Zealand 1990 establishments in New Zealand Islamic organizations established in 1990 Women's organisations based in New Zealand