Resettling the Unsettled: The Refugee Journey of Arab Muslims to New Zealand Rose Joudi Kadri A thesis/dissertation submitted to Auckland University of Technology in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2009 School of Languages and Social Sciences Primary Supervisor: Heather Devere TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. ii Attestation of Authorship ................................................................................................ vii Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................... viii Abstract ............................................................................................................................ ix List of Abbreviations and Acronyms .............................................................................. xii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1 The Refugee Crisis ............................................................................................................ 1 Arab Refugees ................................................................................................................... 3 Research Aims .................................................................................................................. 5 Research Question ............................................................................................................. 7 Rationale of the Study ....................................................................................................... 7 Significance of the Study .................................................................................................. 9 Restrictions on Scope ...................................................................................................... 10 Overall Structure ............................................................................................................. 11 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................. 13 Definitions of Migrants and Refugees ............................................................................ 14 Refugee Streams.......................................................................................................... 17 The Resettlement Solution .............................................................................................. 20 Different Models of Refugee Resettlement..................................................................... 27 USA Refugee Resettlement......................................................................................... 28 Canadian Refugee Resettlement ................................................................................. 30 Australian Refugee Resettlement ................................................................................ 32 New Zealand as a Refugee Resettlement Country ...................................................... 35 Mangere Resettlement Reception Centre (MRRC)..................................................... 36 Refugee and Migrant Services (RMS) ........................................................................ 38 Refugee Resettlement Needs and Challenges ................................................................. 40 Practical Needs ............................................................................................................ 41 ii Challenges of Identity, Culture and Religion .............................................................. 48 Arab and Islamic Identity ............................................................................................ 58 Gender Issues .............................................................................................................. 65 Prejudice and Islamaphobia ........................................................................................ 72 Refugee Strengths and Support ....................................................................................... 74 Coping and Resilience................................................................................................. 75 Ethnic Community Associations and Social Support ................................................. 76 Family Reunification ................................................................................................... 79 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 80 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ....................................................................... 82 Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research Methods in Refugee Studies ........................... 82 Method ............................................................................................................................ 88 Access to Participants ................................................................................................. 88 Data Saturation ............................................................................................................ 91 Participants .................................................................................................................. 91 Data Collection Procedure .......................................................................................... 99 Ethical Considerations .............................................................................................. 100 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................ 102 Narrative Analysis: Life Story Interviews ................................................................ 106 Validity and Reliability ............................................................................................. 108 Researcher Reflexivity .............................................................................................. 109 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 113 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS .................................................................................... 115 The First Leg of the Refugee Journey: Becoming a Refugee ....................................... 117 Fleeing Their Homeland ........................................................................................... 117 Becoming a Refugee ................................................................................................. 119 Refugee vs. Immigrant .............................................................................................. 126 The Refugees‟ Original Destination.......................................................................... 130 iii The Importance of Providing Pre-Orientation Information to Refugees .................. 133 Expectations of New Zealand ................................................................................... 134 Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre: The Mirror to Life in New Zealand .......... 136 The Issue of Privacy at MRRC ................................................................................. 138 The Unstable Life at MRRC ..................................................................................... 140 The Food at MRRC ................................................................................................... 142 The Emphasis on the Dependency and Neediness of Refugees ................................ 143 The Efficiency of Interpreters ................................................................................... 145 The Refugee Education Programme ......................................................................... 147 The MRRC Departure ............................................................................................... 148 Summary of the First Leg of the Refugee Journey ................................................... 150 The Second Leg of the Refugee Journey: The Start of a New Life .............................. 152 Refugee Migrant Services (RMS) ............................................................................. 152 Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) ............................................................ 155 Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) ................................................................. 159 The Arab Muslim Refugee Family ........................................................................... 163 Gender Differences in Resettlement Challenges....................................................... 172 Un/Employment ........................................................................................................ 176 Summary of the Second Leg of the Refugee Journey ............................................... 182 The Third Leg of the Refugee Journey: Reflecting on the Refugee Journey................ 184 The Source of Arab Muslim Refugee Strength ......................................................... 184 Current and Ongoing Resettlement Challenges ........................................................ 188 Reflections on New Zealand as a Resettlement Country .......................................... 192 Predicting the Future: Refugees talk about their future and overall experience in New Zealand .....................................................................................................................