Chief Human Rights Commissioner: Muslim immigration a threat to Jewish communities

Documents obtained by 1News show the Chief Human Rights Commissioner Dr Stephen Rainbow raised concerns that rising Muslim immigration to New Zealand poses a threat to our Jewish communities.

On February 24 this year, Dr Rainbow and Race Relations Commissioner Melissa Derby met with Alternative Jewish Voice's Philippa Yasbek and discussed matters including social cohesion.

After the meeting, Yasbek and The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand complained that Rainbow had expressed Islamophobic views and made racist comments about Muslims during the meeting.

Rainbow acknowledged causing offence and said he would work to repair the relationship.

"I have read the statement by FIANZ and wholeheartedly publicly apologise to our Islamic communities," Rainbow said in a statement.

But Rainbow also rejected several claims made by Yasbek — denying that he described Muslims as the biggest threat to the Jewish community and that he had called the Afghan community in West Auckland anti-Semitic.

But since then, 1News has obtained notes that officials took during the meeting.

They show that "Stephen [Rainbow] raised increase in Muslim immigration as threat to Jewish community".

The notes also showed Yasbek questioned this in the meeting, saying particular communities should not be scapegoated and the biggest threats to Jewish communities were white supremacists.

However, Yasbek now called Rainbow's comment "deeply Islamophobic".

"It's absolutely outrageous. I mean, he's echoing these views that we see on the far right in places like Europe and North America — this idea that Muslim people pose a threat either to the wider community or specifically to the Jewish community."

Labour's justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said the Chief Human Rights Commissioner's job was to defend minorities.

"This statement looks like an Islamophobic attack on one of our most vulnerable communities and that is really concerning to me."

The notes also showed Rainbow did talk about the Afghan community. While, not specific on what he said, one official said they would follow up on his comments.

The Human Rights Commission said Rainbow was referring to rising tensions in some Muslim communities.

Rainbow refused to be interviewed by 1News about his views on Muslim immigration but, in a statement, the Human Rights Commission said "he has apologised for statements made during the meeting in question. He stands by the apology and regrets the harm caused."

The Federation of the Islamic Associations of New Zealand tonight said it was “untenable” for the Chief Human Rights Commissioner to make such remarks.

Abdur Razzaq, chairperson of advocacy for the federation, said the latest comments raise "a pattern of behaviour which is certainly alarming" and should be looked at seriously by the Minister of Justice.

"We know that the Hon Paul Goldsmith is a person of high principle, and we ask that he reappraise whether Dr Rainbow is the right person for the position of Chief Human Rights Commissioner," Razzaq said.