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Careful Handling Urged Over Religious And Race Issues

By Rob Olsen.
Published in The Wellingtonian Newspaper, February 16, 2006

New Zealand's growing cultural diversity raises serious questions about the way the media, educators and other sectors handle issues around religion and race.

Victoria University professor of religious studies Paul Morris says New Zealand is becoming a very multi-cultural country - going from one Muslim recorded in the 1901 census to as many as 40,000 now. The country is going to have to reflect on its multi-culturalism in terms of public policy, which raises issues for many sectors such as the media.

He was commenting after the storm of protest in a number of countries including in New Zealand, after media published a series of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad.

The caricatures were published on television news and in The Dominion Post in Wellington and The Press in Christchurch. Both papers have agreed not to republish the cartoons after a forum involving them, other media and community and religious leaders, convened by the Race Relations Commissioner.

Mr Morris says, in his view, "we should take very seriously the freedom of the press and recognise that it and freedom of expression are not absolute rights and should be tempered with other rights and norms of society".

He says media have an enormous responsibility to inform, be accurate, educate and include cultures and religions rather than alienate and marginalise.

Mr Morris does not think much has been gained by publishing the cartoons but is cheered by the response from New Zealanders over the issue. He says the recent forum was a good way to deal with it. Generally groups within New Zealand reacted well, which Mr Morris put down to trust, networks, personal and face-to-face contact, "which sets us apart from other countries".

"It's clear that Muslim people are very, very upset." He says though there is a long history of satire in the West regarding clergymen and religion and it is part of western society, there is no parallel in the Muslim world.

Should they just toughen up and get used to it? "There's a real case for cultural sensitivity," says Mr Morris.

"We are naturally ignorant about Muslims. It would be more helpful for media to embark on a campaign of information about Islam."

Javed Khan, president of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand says there has been a lot of feedback from Muslims in Wellington and around New Zealand over the publication of the cartoons.

"People are upset and annoyed especially given the fact that a warning had been given that it was not a good idea to publish them.

"People feel that there are legitimate grounds to be aggrieved."

He acknowledges the freedom of the press but says the cartoons' publication was intended to provoke the feelings of Muslims.

He says no other action - apart from the protest march held in Auckland - is planned over the matter.

"People are pretty much aware of our feelings and we have demonstrated our disappointment."

Reproduced with permission of the Editor of The Wellingtonian.
Copyright ? The Wellingtonian 2006.

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