Anjum Rahman is a spokesperson for the Islamic Women’s Council of NZ, a group formed in 1991 to cater specifically for the needs of Muslim women in the country. Anjum wrote in The Spinoff the weekend after the terror attacks in Christchurch outlining the work she and others had done for the past five years to draw attention to the very real threats Muslim communities were facing. What was also outlined was the lack of any real response to take action. Lillian Hanly spoke with Anjum earlier this week about these issues, and they touched on the upcoming Royal Commission of Inquiry. The terms of reference had not been announced at this point, but they have since, and both Anjum and Dr Anwar Gheni of the Federation of Islamic Associations were broadly pleased with the outcome, Anjum had said she felt the terms of reference reflected some of the input of her organisation. But it seems the group itself has had to put in a lot of work to get there. Lillian started by asking Anjum what her role is currently as part of the Islamic Women’s Council.
NOTE:
On Monday the government announced the terms of reference for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terror attack. They also announced Sir William Young, Supreme Court Justice, as its chair which will ensure the inquiry maintains its independence from the government. The Commission will have a budget of 8.2 million dollars, and Sir Young may request additional finances if required.
The inquiry will examine what happened as quickly as possible. The Commission itself will be established by Order in Council tomorrow, April 10. It will start considering evidence from May 13 and is expected to report back to the Governor General by December 10.
The Commission will look into:
· The individual’s activities before the attack, including:
· Relevant information from his time in Australia;
· His arrival and residence in New Zealand;
· His travel within New Zealand, and internationally;
· How he obtained a gun licence, weapons and ammunition;
· His use of social media and other online media;
· His connections with others, whether in New Zealand or internationally;
· What relevant state sector agencies knew about this individual and his activities before this attack; what actions (if any) they took in light of that knowledge; and whether there were any additional measures that the agencies could have taken to prevent the attack;
· Whether there were any impediments to relevant state sector agencies gathering or sharing information relevant to the attack, or acting upon such information, including legislative impediments, and
· Whether there was any inappropriate concentration or priority setting of counter terrorism resources by relevant state sector agencies prior to this attack.
This last point is fairly key, a number of voices have spoken out since the attacks outlining the work which had been done to draw officials attention to the threats Muslim communities were facing. Voices have also pointed out the extensive scrutiny faced by the Muslim community from security agencies. But the terms have pleased Muslim community leaders, Newsroom reported. Anjum Rahman from the Islamic Women's Council has stated she feels the terms do reflect some of the input from her organisation as does Dr Anwar Gheni from the Federation of Islamic Associations. Rahman believes they have been heard in that sense. Both Rahman and Gheni are expected to be called by the commission to give evidence.
The Prime Minister has also made a point regarding social media, saying there is an expectation the Royal Commission will give a view on social media's use as a tool, but wider issues around social media was an issue that will sit with central government.
Given the involvement of the GCSB and SIS in the inquiry, the security agencies may have classified information and Sir Young will be given the clearances to handle any sensitive information. Ardern has acknowledged there will be an expectation of a public-facing report.
You can find more information online on the Internal Affairs website.
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