Our Hijrah

Project Brief

Our Hijrah is a research project for recording the oral histories of Muslims in New Zealand. The aim of this project is to understand the journeys of Muslim women in Aotearoa-New Zealand and their contribution and service to their communities. Women’s stories are often overlooked and their frontline contributions to their respective communities, careers and vocations are not recorded in detail. This research will ensure that these stories are documented as a way of preserving the history of Muslim women in Aotearoa - New Zealand. This project is partially funded by UNESCO NZ. 

Research Focus

The research focus is to gather the nuanced histories and journeys faced by Muslim women in New Zealand. The research team will conduct an inquiry into their experiences of navigating and overcoming the social, economic, cultural, linguistic, or emotional challenges they faced as Muslim women. 

Research Methodology

A potential list of candidates for the project is made and these candidates will be chosen from known public organisations in Aotearoa. Candidates will be researched on by the project team. A round of preliminary web interviews (via Zoom or Skype) is conducted to gain further information on their contribution to New Zealand history. If there are people in their life who can give additional information and a different perspective, with the candidate’s permission, they would be contacted too. 

All forms of communication are recorded and kept on file by the team. The candidates are narrowed down to a list of five who meet our sample criteria. They will then go through an in-depth interview which will be documented on video and audio showcasing copies of any archival material.  

The final digital interviews and podcasts will be published on this website along with other historical material. 

Project Engagement 

The 'Our Hijrah' project team has had the added challenge of COVID-19 get in their way of pursuing their mission, but they are not letting this dampen their spirits. Check out this message from the team and their invitation to you in joining them to recognize, acknowledge and archive the stories and contributions of the amazing women amongst us. 

This effort was to shed light on women who inspire us with their work. 

There were a number of submissions made for the nomination call out by the global community. Check them out on our Facebook page.

Our project team has initiated launching the interviews - Watch the interviews here