University of Otago Muslim chaplain Salmah Kassim rings the bell to mark handing in her PhD thesis yesterday. Photo: Gregor RichardsonWhen New Zealand’s first female Muslim chaplain struck the University of Otago bell after submitting her doctor of philosophy thesis she was thinking of her mother. University chaplain Salmah Kassim, who hails from Malaysia, is due to graduate with a PhD in higher education next year. That was in stark contrast to the experiences of her mother, Hajjah Bisab Salleh, who was illiterate, but who was determined her nine sons and daughters would get a good education. She was appointed one of the university’s two Muslim chaplains, and became the first female Muslim chaplain in New Zealand, earlier this year.

Source: Otago Daily Times December 04, 2019 15:33 UTC