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Claims Muslims targeted at Customs
May 28, 2006
Some New Zealand Muslims claim they are being persecuted by Customs officers when they fly back into the country.
They say they are being stopped at airports and questioned for hours on end, because of their appearance and religion.
Maher Fauzi has lived and worked in New Zealand for six years, he is a citizen and calls the country home. But, he claims when he recently returned from holiday airport customs officers interrogated him like a potential terrorist, because he is a Muslim.
Fauzi says he and other Muslims on a flight from Dubai were questioned for two hours at Auckland Airport.
"You feel like you are a criminal. Not a criminal, even worse than that you know. You feel humiliated," he says.
New Zealand Muslims say they are being singled out and harassed by customs because they are easily identified by their names. The Muslim community says it is hearing these kinds of complaints more frequentlysince the September 11 terror attacks.
"They feel intimidated, they feel concerned, they they feel that they... are not treated as equals with the other members of the community," says Javed Khan from the Federation of Islamic Associations New Zealand.
Customs says it does not target people on the basis of race or ethnicity.
But, says it develops intelligence profiles for targeting, which may include nationality along with other indicators such as travel itineraries.
Members of the Muslim community have taken their concerns to ethnic affairs officials and hope to meet with government ministers next month.
Source: One News