Nadine Osman
New Zealand’s Chief Human Rights Commissioner, Dr Stephen Rainbow, issued a public apology on April 2 to the country’s Muslim community following widespread backlash over Islamophobic remarks. The controversy arose from comments he made during a February 24 meeting, which some attendees claimed misrepresented a national security report and unfairly characterised Muslims as a threat.
Justice Minister, Paul Goldsmith, acknowledged Rainbow’s misstep but confirmed that he would not be asked to resign. Instead, Goldsmith stated he would meet with Rainbow to emphasise the need for more careful communication in the future.
The remarks were made during a discussion involving Rainbow, Race Relations Commissioner Melissa Derby, two Human Rights Commission staff members, and Philippa Yasbek, a representative of the anti-Zionist Jewish groups Alternative Jewish Voices and Dayenu. Yasbek later reported that Rainbow had challenged her assertion that white supremacists posed the greatest threat to New Zealand’s Jewish community. Instead, he allegedly referenced an assessment by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (SIS), suggesting that Muslims posed a greater danger.
Yasbek condemned Rainbow’s interpretation of the SIS report, stating, “I was shocked that Dr Rainbow is so prejudiced that he misrepresented the SIS report to say the complete opposite of what is written in the document. The SIS report states that it should not be used to single out any ethnic community as a threat. It also says that white supremacists constitute the bulk of violent extremists in Aotearoa.”
In an email to Yasbek following their meeting, Rainbow attempted to clarify his position, citing a section of the SIS report that mentioned how the conflict in Gaza was being used by terrorist organisations to drive online radicalisation and recruitment.
“It was this commentary that formed the basis of my questioning when we met, and I would be disappointed if this were interpreted as ‘Islamophobic’, for that was certainly not my intention,” he wrote.
The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ), alerted to the comments by Yasbek, strongly condemned Rainbow’s remarks. In a statement, the organisation expressed its “profound disappointment” that the country’s top human rights official had “resorted to racist and Islamophobic statements in his official capacity”. FIANZ further stated, “Dr Stephen Rainbow has seriously devalued and denigrated the office… and this should be an alarming warning bell for human rights in this country.”
In response, Rainbow issued a public apology, saying, “There is no place for Islamophobia in Aotearoa. The initial months in my role as Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission have involved engaging with many communities and learning about their experiences. On 28 February, I learnt that at an engagement with Alternative Jewish Voices, I had caused offence to Muslim communities. Upon realising my error, I met with FIANZ and apologised in person. The commission and I have continued to engage to repair the relationship, which I was attempting to build.”
He added, “I have read the statement by FIANZ and wholeheartedly publicly apologise to our Muslim communities. They should always feel that they can trust the Human Rights Commission to protect their rights. I am even more committed now to ensuring that I am the Chief Human Rights Commissioner for all New Zealanders. Our relationship with Muslim communities is very important, and I have a deeper understanding of their experiences because of this episode.”
Goldsmith, who previously defended Rainbow’s appointment in August 2024 despite concerns over past statements strongly supporting Israel and comments interpreted as transphobic, reiterated his stance that Rainbow should remain in his role. “By his own admission, in this instance, he did not express himself as well as he could have. I will be meeting with the commissioner in the next few days and encouraging him to be more careful with his comments in future,” Goldsmith said.
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