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Christchurch, New Zealand – Thousands of New Zealands attended a mbad vigil in Christchurch to mourn the 50 Muslims killed in an attack on two mosques.
Nearly 40,000 people invaded the Hagley Park in Christchurch on Saturday night, according to local authorities, nearly 10 days after the attack by a white supremacist suspect. Al Noor and Linwood Mosques.
The March 15 mbadacre was the deadliest in New Zealand's recent history and was described by Premier Jacinda Ardern as a terrorist attack.
The ceremony on Saturday was the last of a series of commemorative events and ispeeches, songs and moments of silence included. Muslim members and indigenous Maori communities were among the participants.
Imam of Linwood Mosque, Alabi Lateef Zirullah, started the event with an Islamic prayer.
The names of 50 faithful killed were then read, starting with the youngest, Mucaad Ibrahim, aged three.
"These people came here as refugees and migrants," said a Maori speaker.
"May your spirit go to the top of Aoraki … and despise us and give us peace and love," he said, using the traditional Mount Cook name of Maori, the highest New Zealand summit.
More than 40 victims were buried in New Park Cemetery in Christchurch.
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Mustafa Boztas, a survivor of the 21-year-old shooting in Al Noor, said that the events of remembrance show that "New Zealand cares" about its The Muslim minority, which represents more than 1% of the five million inhabitants of the country.
Earlier Saturday, more than 1,000 people marched through a protest against racism in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand, carrying placards "The lives of migrants" and "Refugees welcome here."
On Friday, Ardern and another 20,000 attended a Muslim prayer ceremony at Hagley Park, near Al Noor Mosque.
Ardern, who was commended for his empathy and understanding towards the Muslim community, wore a headscarf during the event and quoted the Prophet Muhammad.
Before the ceremony on Friday, a two-minute silence was observed throughout the country. The call to prayer was broadcast on national television and radio.
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| Many non-Muslim women have worn headscarves in recent days as a sign of solidarity [Edgar Su/Reuters] |
"This shoot-out has united us as one," said Boztas, who is in a wheelchair after being shot in the leg, Al Jazeera said from the front row of Saturday's vigil. "It takes time to recover … [but] I'm happy to be here. "
About 50 people were injured in the attack, of which 24 are still being treated in a Christchurch hospital. Four people remain in critical condition.
A four-year-old girl is cared for in Auckland. His condition has been described as "critical but stable" by the local media.
"The world looks what we do next"
Glenda Joy, whose Muslim partner lost several friends during the mbadacre, said life would never be normal for those directly affected by the shooting.
"The shock for him has dissipated and he is now very quiet, he is trying to manage it and it will take a lot of time," said Joy, one of the women who wore a headscarf in solidarity.
New Zealand needs greater education on Islam, she said, calling on people to fight against the "daily racism" of minorities.
As a result of the attack, experts said Muslims were discriminated against in New Zealand and Australia, where a 28-year-old suspect Brenton Tarrant was born.
Activists, academics and Muslim leaders described how the community is denigrated by the media and reported a lack of knowledge about the faith and its customs.
Other non-white communities, including the Maori indigenous minority, are also discriminated against.
Sam Brosnahan, president of the New Zealand-based Canterbury University Student Association, said New Zealanders needed to use the wave of compbadion and adopt long-term responses to end racism.
"The world was surprised to see how we all responded," he said.
"But the world is also watching what we do next, so let's show them the Aotearoa the world needs," he added. using the Maori name for New Zealand.
A national commemoration service will be held on March 29, said Ardern.
"This service will be an opportunity to show once again that New Zealanders are compbadionate, inclusive and diverse and that we will protect these values," she said in a statement.
"Islamophobia kills"
Muslim leaders and the Prime Minister rallied against racism and Islamophobia in New Zealand and the rest of the world.
Al Noor Mosque iMam Gamal Fouda, who survived the March 15 attack, told participants at Friday's ceremony in Christchurch that "Islamophobia kills" and that shooting in mosques did not "come overnight".
"He [the attack] It is the result of the anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim rhetoric of some political leaders, news agencies and others, "said Fouda.
"Last week's event is proof to the world that terrorism has no color, no race and no religion," he said. -he adds.
"The rise of white supremacism and right-wing extremism is a great global threat to humanity and it must stop now."
Tarrant, who describes himself as a white supremacist, is scheduled to appear in court on April 5.
He had been charged with murder in a previous hearing on March 16, although the police later admitted that the person in question had been fatally wrongfully convicted.
He is expected to face new charges of murder at the next month's hearing, during which he is expected to represent himself.
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