Dave Gee: Life from Right Field

The New Zealand Government - while not having enough money for generous tax cuts - have managed to find a spare $365,000 to fund a National Centre for Islamic Studies.

Yep, the money has been granted to Otago and Victoria Universities, for a joint venture hoped to be up and running by 2010. Students at the two New Zealand universities will soon be able to study for a BA or post-grad diploma in Islamic Studies, thanks to Labour's generous handout.

Papers under the umbrella of the National Centre for Islamic Studies are likely to include Islamic Politics, Islamic Religion, Islamic Culture, and Arabic.

Peace and understanding and all that, and definitely nothing to do with softening attitudes towards terrorists and the worldwide expansion of Islam...