31 December 2001

On behalf of the entire New Zealand Muslim community, the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand Inc. (F.I.A.N.Z.), fully endorses the call by the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to categorically denounce Terrorism. Local Muslims have wholeheartedly supported his speech at the meeting of Gulf Arab rulers in Oman. While we loyally stand behind the Government of New Zealand, we also support the “legitimate armed struggle” of the Palestinian people and indeed those of other oppressed Muslim nations and lands around the globe, including Chechenya and Kashmir.

We would like to call on the Government of our country to urgently re-assess its position with the state of Israel. This country employs methods of Terrorism such as illegal arrest, torture, murder, assassinations, bombing, and the extensive use of military and police forces in special actions against Palestinian civilians. Similarly we would like our Government to publicly condemn the behaviour of the Russian army of occupation in Chechenya, where similar methods of Terrorism are used to cow the population into submission. We are also extremely disappointed that the New Zealand Government has not done more for the Chechen refugees.

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Abdullah Drury
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

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