WELLINGTON, Aug 26: History was made in New Zealand’s parliament on Monday with the seating of the South Pacific country’s first Muslim lawmaker, but he had to bring his own copy of the holy Quran on which to take the oath.

Pakistan-born scientist Ashraf Choudhary, 53, placed his hand on the holy book and pledged allegiance to New Zealand’s sovereign leader.

“I, Ashraf Choudhary, swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, her heirs and successors according to law so help me God.”

Choudhary donated his Koran to parliamentary officials, who did not have one.

New Zealand lawmakers with religious beliefs usually take the option of swearing on the Bible.

The make-up of the single chamber parliament — previously dominated by white males with farming or business backgrounds — has changed dramatically since New Zealand adopted the German-style proportional representation voting system in 1997.

The latest parliament has openly gay MPs, a dreadlocked Rastafarian who supports decriminalising marijuana, and a transsexual among its 120 members.

More than a quarter of the lawmakers, including the prime minister, are women. Around 12 percent are from the indigenous Maori people.

The latest census shows that New Zealand had 23,631 Muslims in 2001, compared with only 6,096 a decade earlier. Choudhary, born to a poor farming family in Punjab province before migrating to New Zealand in 1976, said that he would represent all ethnic minorities in the nation’s 3.9 million total population.—Reuters