KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's first Muslim to gain a degree in Christian theology will be remembered in a centre for interfaith dialogue planned for Auckland.
Fiji-born Abdul Rahim Rasheed, who died last October aged 68, did the degree at Auckland University after he retired as a lawyer in 1992.
He helped to found New Zealand's first mosque in Ponsonby in 1979 and spent years travelling around the Pacific Islands promoting understanding between Islam and Christianity.
He told the Herald in 1996 that he wanted to study Christianity so he could explain the similarities between the two religions.
Both believed in God and shared the same holy books dating back to Abraham. The main difference was that Muslims saw Jesus as just one of five great prophets, not the son of God.
Public Defence Service lawyer Aarif Rasheed, has gained high-level support for a planned $3 million "Centre for Interfaith Dialogue and Education" in his father's memory, with a library, seminar rooms and space for youth activities and community events.
A tentative site has been identified in Avondale but it was not yet decided if it would be a standalone building or part of an existing facility.
The Human Rights Commission has listed the proposed centre as one of more than 250 "diversity projects" to foster positive race relations, and Auckland Deputy Mayor the Rev Bruce Hucker has written a letter of support.
"Auckland City, while it hasn't made any decision at all on the extent of support, clearly supports it in principle at the moment," he said.
Waikato University Associate Professor Douglas Pratt, who lectured the late Mr Rasheed at Auckland University and described him as "both my student and my teacher", said he was a voice for tolerance at a time when more strident voices hogged the headlines.
"His whole philosophy as a Muslim leader was to say, 'Here in this country are many religions and it behoves us to (a) be good citizens, and (b) lead our religious lives in such a way that we can be good neighbours and live in dialogue.'
"To that extent he was a unique voice," Professor Pratt said.
The Auckland centre would be similar to initiatives overseas such as the Affinity Intercultural Foundation in Sydney.
"Increasingly around the world Muslims are doing this as a counterpoint to their own extremists," he said.
Mr Aarif Rasheed said a trust had been set up to seek funds for the centre.
* Contact - rasheedtrust@paradise.net.nz
