Building bridges, spreading knowledge

ASSALAAMUALAIKUM,
Brothers and Sisters. Since
the New Muslim Project
opened its doors a little over
six months ago, it has been
our mission to build bridges
between the Aotearoa
Muslims and the many reverts
that continue to join our
community. Through these
bridges we also hope to light a
path of understanding and
questions answered to
Muslims and non-Muslims
alike who are interested to
learn more about Islam.
We also hope our presence
extends an approachable
helping hand to new Muslims
seeking guidance as they
delve deeper into Islam. It has
been both an exciting and a
rewarding journey so far!
As we positioned our ofce
to be a welcoming place of
education and conversation,
we have received more than
150 visitors since our launch
in September. These visitors
were interested to receive
books on various aspects of
Islam, DVDs on the methods
of prayer, copies of the
Quran, prayer mats, or
simply to discuss Islam with
our ofce coordinator over
coffee and biscuits.
With a growing demand for
our resources, the NMP is
always updating its library to
cater to Aucklands diversity
with literature in various
languages, such as English,
Arabic, Japanese, Russian,
Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese,
Korean, German and Thai.
Many new Muslims have
approached us requesting an
ofcial certication of their
testimony of faith, which the
NMP has been more than
happy to provide. A
wonderful handcrafted gift
pack lled with cultural items,
Islamic literature, and a
Quran in the language of
choice also includes their
certicate.
With the NMPs recent
Road Trip to visit North
Island reverts, the launch of
our newsletter, our Auckland
Eid Day stall and growing
presence in social media, we
hope to continue extending
our outreach to provide
information, support and
guidance to our growing
revert community and others
interested in Islam.
As we progress, we are
determined and motivated to
keep moving forward and
improving the services we
currently provide as well as
those we hope to launch in
the future. While we work to
achieve effectiveness and
success to the best of our
abilities, we also aim to
further establish, with the
help of God, our position in a
community that stands strong
with the teachings of Islam.
Sincerely,
New Muslim Project Team
Converts Jeremy
and George
enjoying a
conversation at
the New Muslim
Project barbecue,
an event held
during Aucklands
glorious summer
(alhamdulillah!) at
Cornwall Park
and attended by
about three dozen
brothers and
sisters.
More photos inside
I
s
s
u
e

T
w
o

A
p
r
i
l

2
0
1
3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Personal prole.......2
Eid Al-Adha..............4
Buddy system..........5
NMP BBQ.................6
Useful
organisations...........7
NEW MUSLI M PROJECT NEWS
Personal profile
Kelly Walters
THE proudest moments this young
project has experienced are when an
individual comes to nd their way
back to God through Islam. NMP
welcomes all reverts with open arms
and asks them to share their stories
with others who are on the same
path, as Kelly shares her story here.
AUCKLAND University student
Kelly Walters began her journey to
Islam at a young age. Born
Christian and brought up in a family
that held strong religious beliefs,
Kelly always felt
the signicant role
religion played in
her life. However,
that assurance
began to falter
very early in her
life.
[My parents]
got a divorce when
I was about eight
and I lived with
my mom, Kelly
explains.
She was sort of
the lesser Christian
out of both of
them so she didnt
go to church but I
continued to go.
My mom would
drop me off at
church, leave me
there and then come back two hours
later. I was the only Christian left in
the family.
At 13, Kelly felt the desire to
understand more about her religion
beyond church-going and the ideals
of being a good Christian that she
had grown up with.
She began to look past the simple
smiles and ask questions on how and
why Christians act the way they do,
or why an event occurred as it did in
the Bible.
Searching for answers, she instead
found herself diverging from the
path of Christianity.
When I started to ask questions I
wouldnt get actual answers, she
recalls. Depending on whom Id
ask, they would tell me different
things. They would just say You
have to believe but I didnt know
what I believed in. Soon, I started to
have no religion.
Along with the loss of religion,
Kelly began to lose her identity as
she fell into the wrong crowd of
friends and at one point also began
a modelling career. But with
spirituality embedded in her heart
from a young age, she knew she
needed a change in her life.
At 16, she began to let go of her
old life and made new friends. Little
did she know at the start that many
of them were Muslims.
Upon Kellys newfound discovery,
she thought, That was strange
compared to what you hear about
Muslims and how they sort of push
their faith on you and try to convert
you, but none of them did that ever
and they still havent.
From there, Kellys desire for
answers grew once more and she
began to ask questions of her
Muslim friends. However, unlike her
previous experience, she was given
direct answers and was reassured
that this is simply what they
believed. Eventually, she began to
believe it too.
Kelly travelled to Dunedin for
school. Along with her came her
sparked interest in Islam and her
decision to try wearing the hijab.
There, she was greeted by Muslim
women, some of whom were also
reverts. They invited her to the
mosque and gave
her a new Muslim
pack lled with a
prayer mat, a
Quran, and other
items to help her
on her journey.
Kelly also took it
upon herself to
learn more about
Islam on her own.
She taught herself
to pray from
watching a
YouTube video of
a little girl praying
and struggled with
her decision to
commit to the
hijab.
I think because
I was halfway for
so long I was sort
of half Christian, half Muslim I
believed everything the Quran said
but at the same time I didnt want to
lose my identity. I built that up for
17 years and then just to change it
would have been difcult, she
explains. I think the hijab stopped
me for so long. Its just a simple
piece of cloth, but I was so scared. I
thought people are not going to
know me; theyre not going to like
me; theyre not going to talk to me.
But they do!
Along with the personal struggles,
Kelly also faced a major obstacle
Continued on next page
Sister Kelly Walters being interviewed recently in the NMP ofce
Regardless of the
obstacles that
stood in her way,
Kelly made the
conscious decision
to devote herself to
the path of Islam
2
from her family, especially her
devout Christian father.
My dad is ok about it now
because Im his daughter and he
accepts me but he doesnt accept
what I believe, she says.
It does hurt because sometimes
he says Im going to hell and that
Im being deceived. Its hard. But
hes getting there.
Regardless of the obstacles that
stood in her way, Kelly made the
conscious decision to devote herself
to the path of Islam.
She truly believed that a life
without religion was a life without
purpose, and no
matter the
difculties she
was able to
justify her beliefs
and faith within
Islam. She also
turned her back
on her booming modelling career
despite the encouragements she
received that she could go far in the
industry. Whereas they had wanted
her to reveal more, she decided to
choose the hijab.
Now at 19,
Kelly has found
better stability
within Islam and
continues to
learn more to
further commit
to her chosen
path. She also
runs her own
YouTube
channel featuring videos that
address the many questions and
issues new Muslim
converts face and
her opinions on
how to tackle
them. Through
this, she has
received both
praise and support
from viewers around the world.
Confronting her struggles on her
journey to Islam, Kelly advises new
Muslims to take their time and
convert at their own pace.
I made that
mistake in rushing
into it, she
admits. You
throw out any
clothing that
resembles your
past life and you
feel like you have
to start all over
again. You feel like
you have to wear
what Muslims wear, act how
Muslims act, and do everything that
Muslims do. You end up getting a
sort of culture shock that is actually
pretty scary. You risk losing faith in
it and going back to how you were,
and thats really easy to do in the
beginning. But someone once told
me that the Quran was revealed in
stages to the Prophet Mohammad,
and that thats how Islam should be
to new Muslims. I believe that.
The Quran was
revealed in stages
to the Prophet
Mohammad, and
thats how Islam
should be to
new Muslims
Kelly truly believed
that a life without
religion was a life
without purpose
3
Quranic verse
And when My servants ask you (O Muhammad concerning Me, then answer them),
I am indeed near. I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me.
So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.
Quran: Surah al-Baqarah (2:186)
Meet
brother
Mazin
Al-Salim
the New
Muslim
Project
Manager
Festival of
the Sacrifice
UPON taking on the role to support
reverts and new Muslims across
Aotearoa, the New Muslim Project
hoped to play a part in bringing
happiness and goodwill in the name
of God to reverts on the joyous
occasion of Eid Al-Adha (the
Festival of the Sacrice). To do so,
the Project decided to share with
reverts across Auckland the
spirituality and abundance brought
about by the udhiya (sacrice) of
lamb requested by God on this day.
Part of celebrating Eid Al-Adha
also means giving up some of our
own bounties in order to strengthen
ties of
friendship and
kinship, as
well as to help
those who are
in need,
reected the
Udhiya
report. We
recognise that
all blessings
come from
Allah, and we
should open
our hearts and
share with
others. What
better way
than distribute
the sacriced
animals to
new Muslims
in order for
them to feel
and celebrate
Eid Al-Adha
in a more
collective and
festive way to
highlight the
importance of
the Islamic
festival?
Funded by
the U.A.E. Red Crescent, the rst
distribution began in Auckland,
where the NMP succeeded in
distributing the udhiya gift to reverts
from diverse backgrounds such as
New Zealand, Russia, Georgia,
Ireland and elsewhere. This covered
reverts living in the CBD, North
Short, East, West, and South of
Auckland.
The Project team also hoped to
not only deliver the gifts but also
take the opportunity to spend time
with revert families. They were
welcomed with open arms and an
eagerness from new Muslims to
learn more about the stories and
spirituality behind the Islamic event.
The NMP also gifted the Fatimah
Foundation with seven lambs and
devout revert, Sister Debbie Taka
with four lambs to help them on
their mission to spread the cheer of
Eid through the distribution of the
udhiya.
Together, they were able to present
the udhiya gift
to 92 revert
families across
the Auckland
region alone.
With the
success of the
rst
distribution,
the NMP
decided to
travel to
Auckland
neighbours
Hastings and
Hamilton to
grant the gifts
to the revert
Muslim
communities
there, most of
whom are
Maori
families. Four
lambs each
were given to
Sister Jameela
Yousef and
husband Hani
in Hastings,
and to the
Waikato
Muslim
Association in
Hamilton to distribute across each
community. As in Auckland, the gifts
were received with a heartening
response. Rewarded by the
experience, the NMP hoped to assist
new Muslims to become accustomed
to Islamic celebrations, and learn
their signicance. Eid Al-Adha
marks one of two major Islamic
festivities, and the udhiya gift played
a signicant role in bringing
happiness as well as a better
understanding of the occasion to
revert families.
From amongst all of the sacrices
in Allah's cause, the distribution of
the meat during this season must be
the most fullling of all, explained
NMP and Al-Hikmah Trust
member Sameer Youssef.
It combines the very real sacrice
of a lamb as our forefather Prophet
Ibrahim (AS) did with the blessing of
the meat, which is then donated to
people near and far for many to
benet from and enjoy with their
families and friends.
I sincerely hope that Allah (SWT)
accepts our sacrices and everyone
who received a pack shared in the
spirit of Ibrahims willingness to
please his Lord.

Hadith
(action or saying of the Prophet)

Zaid ibn Arqam (ra)
related that the
companions of the
messenger of Allah (swt)
asked, O Messenger of
Allah, what is sacrice?
He replied, It is the
sunnah (tradition) of your
father Ibrahim. They
asked again, What
benet do we get from
it? He answered, A
reward for every hair of
the sacriced animal.
And what reward is
there for animals with
wool? they asked. A
reward, he said, for
every bre of the wool.
(Ibn Majah, Musnad Ahmad,
Mishkaat)
Converts receiving their udhiya gifts
4
Buddy System
takes off
SINCE the launch of the New
Muslim Project, one of the major
objectives set by the NMP team was
to launch a New Muslim Buddy
System, a support network designed
especially to provide a more
personal level of encouragement
and guidance to new Muslims.
After months of preparation,
detailed planning and a widespread
call to volunteers across the
Aotearoa Muslim community, the
NMP Buddy System was nally
implemented in December.
To begin, volunteers attended an
intensive two-day training course,
where they studied a detailed
syllabus designed by Dr Mohamed
Abdelhady and Sheikh Rafat. The
syllabus covered critical issues new
Muslims face in two major aspects:
the Islamic and psychological
perspectives. A series of revert
stories were also presented to allow
volunteers to
assess how and
where they can
help based on
realistic
scenarios.
The purpose
of the buddy
system is to give
friendly support
to new Muslims
and help them
navigate a new
way of life, and
the changes
that come with
that, said
Buddy System
Team Leader
Azim
Alexander
Shea. This can
be hard for many, and a friendly
face to help introduce new Muslims
to the community and answer their
questions is something that is in
demand but hasnt really been
supplied in a systematic way before.
At the end of the course,
volunteers were split into groups and
assigned new Muslims who had
approached the NMP in search of
guidance. They were prepared to act
as buddies to the new reverts in
order to answer their questions,
mark their progress and ensure that
they no longer had to walk the path
of Islam alone.
As a buddy, a volunteer may
support
their new
Muslim by
doing such
things as
taking them
to the
mosque,
teaching
them how
to pray,
introducing
them to
other
Muslims,
taking them
to
community
events,
teaching
them or
answering
their questions on the basics of
Islam, including them in Islamic
traditions such as inviting them to
break fast during Ramadan or
celebrating with them the joyous
occasions of Eid, and more.
This project understands and
respects the great change and
obstacles one person might go
through when taking such a huge
step as embracing Islam, said
buddy volunteer Rawand Shiblaq,
reecting on her experience thus far.
This system caters for the needs
of these new Muslims, so anything
they ask from us from advice, hijab
shopping or just a simple hangout,
every buddy enjoys every moment of
it and would go beyond lengths to
help in any way possible.
Now well on its way, the Buddy
System continues to grow and the
team strives to progress the
effectiveness, efciency and extent of
their help. With periodic meetings,
the team comes together to discuss
lessons learned and best practices so
that they may provide the best
support possible in their roles.
I would like this system to grow
bigger and bigger and become more
and more successful than it already
is now, insha Allah, added
Rawand. I also hope to see our
buddies ourish and fully embrace
Islam. In the future, they may be the
ones to take part in the project and
help other future newcomers.
Dr Mohamed
Abdelhady
addressed the
psychological
issues of
conversion with
the budding
buddies
5
If you would like to become a
buddy to a new Muslim, or feel
you or someone you know needs
a buddy, please email
buddy@newmuslimproject.co.nz
6
New Muslim
Project
barbecue in
Cornwall Park
Some useful
organisations
Al Hikmah Trust
The Trust runs programmes,
presentations, forums and meetings
to educate Muslim and non-Muslim
youths and students about Islamic
beliefs and practices. April events
include bowling, laser strike, and
indoor sports. May events include
Ladies Movie Night, Boys
Armoury and Rock Climbing.
For details of events, like the
Facebook pages Al Hikmah Trust
Boys or Al Hikmah Trust Girls.
Fatimah Foundation
Fatimah Foundation aims to provide
family assistance to Islamic mothers
and homes. The foundation offers a
service based on Islamic values.
For events, keep an eye on the
website. To volunteer, call (09) 276
7680 or email
noeleen@fatimafoundation.org.nz
For general enquiries, email
info@fatimahfoundation.org.nz
www.fatimahfoundation.org.nz or
nd them on Facebook.
Marhaba Play Group
Marhaba aims to help the children
of the Muslim community to learn
the Arabic language and Islamic
studies by providing a broad-based
educational programme which
allows the kids to choose from a
range of activities presented in fun
ways. The 2013 term has begun.
Make contact to register your child
or to volunteer.
Email hoda.elwalili@gmail.com or
visit www.marhaba.co.nz or nd
them on Facebook.
Mt Albert Islamic
Trust
As well as holding Friday prayers
(with the bayaan and khutbah
both in English), this Trust runs
childrens classes and publishes a
useful e-newsletter called Rocket
Science that among other things
gives prayer times and the
programme schedule for Voice of
Islam.
Email
mtalbertmasjid@gmail.com or
visit www.mtalbertislamiccentre.org
Rasheed Memorial
Dawah Trust (RMDT)
Rasheed Memorial Dawah Trust
(RMDT) operates primarily in
Auckland as well as in some Pacic
islands such as Fiji, Tonga and
Samoa. RMDT is active in specic
areas, notably ecology and charity.
Find them on Facebook.
Working Together
Group (WTG)
WTG are active in specic
community projects, notably the
Janaza Project, which provides
funeral services for Muslims, and the
Helping Hand Project, which
distributes food collected from food
banks in mosques to needy families.
The Helping Hand team meets at
6.30pm on the last Tuesday of every
month at Wesley Community
Centre and the Janaza Committee
meets there on the rst Wednesday
of every month.
Janaza details: Ashraf Khan (021
786 676), Mazin Al-Salim (021 1466
179) or David Blocksidge (021 054
8443). Helping Hand: Ismail Waja
(021 212 9282) or Ayah Kautai (021
2222 808).
Young Muslim
Womens
Association
(YMWA)
YMWA supports and
nurtures Islamic identity and
values among Muslim women
around Auckland. Girls/
Ladies only Sports Leagues:
Badminton, Tuesdays 6-7pm;
soccer 7-9pm. Both at Lyneld
Recreation & Youth Centre. Quran
Reections, Thursdays 6-7.30pm.
Study Circle, third Monday of each
month. Both in Room 4.501,
Faculty of Engineering, University
of Auckland.
Email ymwa.nz@gmail.com or visit
www.ymwa.org/ or nd them on
Facebook.
Fatimah Foundation volunteers
(far left) receive udhiya gifts for
distribution; one of the
environmental projects (centre)
with which RMDT was involved;
some of the food (above)
collected by Helping Hand
7
Level 5, Ofce 5A2, ACG House, 396 Queen Street, Auckland
Open 10am to 2pm Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (except public holidays)
Telephone: (09) 280 1615
Email: info@newmuslimproject.co.nz
Web: www.newmuslimproject.co.nz or nd us on Facebook
Views expressed in articles in New Muslim Project News are those of the author or organisation concerned and do not necessarily
reect the opinions of the publisher, Al Hikmah Trust. Contents copyright Al Hikmah Trust 2013.
We welcome your contributions and suggestions
for future issues of this newsletter.
Tell us if you would like your organisation to be listed.
Please email the editor: newsletter@newmuslimproject.co.nz
We are looking for a sponsor to help with the cost of printing
this newsletter if you would like to assist with our work.
You can donate to New Muslim Project using these details:
Bank: Kiwi Bank
Account name: New Muslim Project
Account number: 38-9008-0489171-02
Parting
shot
Brother George (left), who
converted last year, with
NMP volunteers brothers
Adam and David and sister
Mazlinah. They were at
Shakespear Park on
Whangaparaoa Peninsula
for the annual Kampung
NZ Picnic. Kampung is
the Malay word for
village, and Kampung
NZ is the group that exists
for Malays (and their
spouses like those pictured!)
living in New Zealand.