Kate Stewart: Fitting in with a bit of burka bother

Do we not have the right to be a little suspicious or wary of some immigrants?

FOR months now I've been struggling to understand why so many people appear to be immigrating to countries where the culture, politics, philosophy and laws appear to be at complete odds with their own core values and belief systems.

Who in their right mind would make such a monumental move if they have no or little intention of immersing themselves, fully, into the culture of their adoptive new home?

To just expect to continue living exactly as you did but then also demand that same country to make special allowances for you is a tad on the unreasonable side, to say the least.

Do we not have the right to be a little suspicious or wary of such immigrants?

It's like a white supremacist moving to Fiji, a humidity-hater relocating to Singapore or a person whose religion and/or politics absolutely dictates that they must despise the wicked ways of the Western world upping sticks and heading to the United States ... it simply defies all logic.

It's one thing to immigrate and on arrival seek out other expats and those of a similar philosophy to surround yourself for friendship, familiarity and support but it's quite another to find those people in the hope of recreating your own private version of the old homeland, especially if it involves living by a set of rules or laws that aren't recognised here, let alone practised.

I'm all for ethnic diversity. Other countries' traditions and cultures fascinate me. There's much we can all learn from being exposed to them and mixing them with our own, as long as they do actually mix.

Separatism, on the other hand, concerns me greatly, as does preferential treatment for any group of people, I don't care who they are. It's the old cliche ... When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Let's take the burka, for example. I have no issue whatsoever with this garment and respect the use of it but what I do have a problem with is the double standard. My son, upon entering a New Zealand bank, will be asked to remove his baseball cap and sunglasses whereas a woman donning a burka will not be requested to do the same.

It's the sheer principle of the thing. You just can't start having rules, laws and protocols that allow for one specific group of people to be immune to them. It should be one rule for all.

Either everyone has the right to partially conceal their faces in a bank or no bugger does.

It's these blatant inconsistencies that get people's backs up, creating simmering tensions and resentments which then run the risk of boiling over.

I firmly believe in the, albeit, romantic notion of New Zealand being a multicultural "melting pot" so long as the flavours blend well and complement one another.

To use a food analogy ... Kiwis and their culture perform as the master stock of the soup, we provide its base flavour. The new cultures we welcome in then act as the herbs and spices to further enhance the taste.

But even the smallest chilli, if not handled and prepared correctly, can start to dominate, killing off all other ingredients, leaving you with a bitter taste in your mouth that ultimately becomes unpalatable.

Immigration will forever continue to be an ongoing issue but we need to look beyond the who and from where and ask why. We need to ensure that whoever is granted entry into our beautiful country, is here for all the right reasons.

+Kate Stewart is planning a designer range of burkas - orders and feedback to: investik8@gmail.com