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Photo by © Michal Klajban/Wikimedia Commons

2019 Parliamentary Eid Celebration

Suhaylah Richards —

This year’s Eid Celebration at the Beehive paid special tribute to the support offered by New Zealanders, including the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, to the families and communities of those effected by the 15th March tragedy in Christchurch.

Hagley Community College was well positioned and resourced to set up as the first response headquarters, at a very difficult time in the history of Christchurch.

Politicians, diplomats, ambassadors and leaders of Muslim community organisations from across New Zealand and abroad gathered on Wednesday 13th June inside the Beehive in Wellington over nibbles and drinks, to celebrate Eid al Fitr, marking the conclusion of Ramadan. This was followed by addresses from the Minister of Ethnic Affairs, the Hon. Jenny Salesa, and leaders of national Muslim groups.

The Beehive provided an impressive backdrop for the colourful event, where women and men dressed in their various national dresses in a colourful evening of conversation and renewing of friendships across the many Muslim communities that exist in New Zealand. The event is an annual one, attended by between 200 and 300 people from New Zealand, and attracting guests from around the world.

The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was a past Hagley Homework Centre student, Abbas Nazari, who arrived on the Tampa for a better life in New Zealand. He now has a degree in International Relations and Diplomacy. Abbas has recently been awarded a Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Award to study at Columbia University in New York (click here for the NZ Herald article). Invited guests included Hagley staff member, Suhaylah Richards.