Royal Commission submission from NZ Muslim community calls for Crown apology, overhaul of public service

Prominent members of New Zealand’s Muslim community have released their submission to the Royal Commission into March 2019’s Christchurch terrorist attacks.

Almost 130 pages long, the submission is critical of police and politicians past and present, asking for an apology from the Crown, and an overhaul of the public service they say failed them.

Members of the Islamic Women’s Council say they felt “sickened” and “faced with a public service that was inept”.

Aliya Danzeisen of the Islamic Women's Council says the community asks that “all New Zealanders” read the submission and work “to ensure that what happened to us and our community doesn't happen again in New Zealand”.

She says the public service was “uninterested in solving the problem” - the problem being warnings of soaring Islamophobia in New Zealand.

“We knocked on every door, we offered solutions and were basically dismissed,” says Ms Danzeisen.

She says the council also told police about a Facebook message with a threat to a mosque in Hamilton for an attack the same day as the one in Christchurch.

"Everything was in place for us to ignore us again.

“And it was extra painful for me because I had given the date,” says Ms Danzeisen.

Police say they investigated and formally warned a person about the Hamilton threat, but won't comment on the council's overall submission.

The Christchurch mosque attack gunman is up for sentencing on August 24 this year.