Ahmed Zaoui’s party

The NZ Herald has an interesting story (found via No Right Turn) on the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), which is the party Ahmed Zaoui was an MP for.

It has been described by a political scientist in France as “The FIS was not pluralistic at all. In reality it was a completely fascist party.”

Docuemnts issued by the FIS heralded a crackdown on women’s independence, on non-Islamist thinking and homosexuals with some FIS grassroots militants attackeing unveiled women in the street, sometimes throwing acid in their faces.

“Several leading members of the FIS later joined the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) – the ruthless group that fought Algeria’s armed forces, but also slaughtered political dissidents and killed thousands of Algerian villagers in its bid to foment a revolution. ”

Their founding charter states that schooling would be conducted on a single-sex basis, based on “respect for Islamic values and good morals inspired by Sharia, or Islamic law.

As an MP for FIS, Mr Zaoui is obviously a very devout Muslim, who believes countries are better off as relgiious states, not secular states. What I have always wondered is why he chose to come to secular New Zealand, instead of the many Islamic states that already exist?