Massey University Religious Studies Coordinator Christopher van der Krogt has defended the comments made by MP Ashraf Choudhary regarding Islamic law and the stoning of gays. He says that Choudhary, as both a Muslim and a New Zealander, is in a difficult position. In a statement on Tuesday, Dr Choudhary said as a devout Muslim, he believes in the Koran, not all its practices. "As a matter of personal belief, I abhor stoning and am strongly opposed to violence." However, he also stated that the Koran is "the word of God". Van der Krogt defended Choudhary, a former associate professor at Massey, saying "All Muslims affirm the truth of the Koran. No Muslim will say that the Koran is time-conditioned or that it's true in certain circumstances." He continued by saying that the issue of interpretation of the Koran has been oversimplified. He said that the source of laws such as the stoning of homosexuals is not the Koran but Sharia - Muslim law derived from the teachings of the Koran and the traditions of the Prophet. Orthodox Muslim thought dictates that Sharia can only be applied in a devout Muslim society, making stoning appropriate in Afghanistan, but not New Zealand. Ashraf Choudhary appeared on TV3's 60 Minutes Monday night, in an item about fundamentalist Islam in New Zealand. In an interview, he said that the Koran was "correct" to advocate stoning homosexuals "in those societies", referring to those practising Islamic canonical law.