نيوزيلندا: مسلمة تشارك في الانتخابات المحلية للمرة الأولى

خبر من مصادر إنجليزية.

أعلنت السيدة "أنجوم رحمن" - المسلمة الهندية الأصل التي تعيش في "نيوزيلندا" منذ 45 عامًا وتعمل محاسبة قانونية - نيتها دخول الانتخابات المحلية كأول امرأة مسلمة، وذلك بعد تأكيدها دعمًا واسعًا وتأييدًا من مواطني مجلس مدينة "هاميلتون".

وتعليقًا على ترشحها للانتخابات بعد قضاء 40 عامًا بالبلاد منذ وصولها مع والديها وعمرها خمس سنوات - أكد بعض السياسيون أنه تحول حكومي يعكس تقدير تنوع المجتمع.

وقد أكدت المرشحة المسلمة أن لديها القدرة على تحقيق إنجازات اقتصادية، وبصرف النظر عن النتائج فإن الخطوة تحظى بالتقدير والاحترام؛ المصدر: شبكة الألوكة.

يرجى الإشارة إلى المصدر عند نقل الخبر – شبكة الألوكة.

الخبر من مصدره الأصلي:

Muslim Kiwi out to make history

A Waikato mother of two aims to make history in the upcoming local body elections by becoming the first elected Muslim woman in New Zealand.

Chartered accountant Anjum Rahman says she has received strong support for her campaign for Hamilton City Council.

"I’ve been working in the community for years now, and there were quite a number of people who encouraged me to put my name forward," she says.

Ms Rahman was born in India, and moved here with her parents when she was five.

"I consider myself to be a Kiwi," she says. "I’ve lived here for over 40 years, so it’s about being seen as a New Zealander like everyone else."

Retiring three-term councillor Daphne Bell says it is important local government in Hamilton shifts to reflect the increasingly diverse population of the city.

"If we look at who sits around the council table we don't have a great record of representing our diverse community," she says.

"We have one Maori councillor at the moment, but we had a 15-year drought before she was elected this term, and we've had no representatives from the Asian or African new arrivals, or Pacific Islanders."

Waikato University political scientist Priya Kurian says the needs of all constituents should be reflected by the city council.

"Diversity matters if you want good governance and appropriate representation," she says.

"The research tells us that the more diverse the council, the more likely it is to be able to respond to the needs of a diverse community."

Ms Bell says the Hamilton City Council has made progress in recent years.