New Zealanders united in grief: ‘He is alone, everyone else is together’

One week on from worst terror attack in nation’s history, country comes together to mourn 

Emanuel Stoakes
Christchurch
Friday 22 March 2019 16:30 GMT
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Members of the Mongrel Mob, New Zealand’s best-known gang, have vowed to provide security outside mosques
Members of the Mongrel Mob, New Zealand’s best-known gang, have vowed to provide security outside mosques

In the aftermath of the darkest day in modern New Zealand history, a nation blanketed in shock continues to answer hate with unity.

This was in evidence on Friday afternoon, at a service in Christchurch’s Hagley Park which marked the passage of a week since terror was visited on two mosques in the city by a lone gunman who espoused white supremacist views.

It was the best attended and perhaps most poignant public gathering yet to be held in remembrance of victims and in support of the Muslim community nationwide.

Surrounded by a crowd of thousands, the Islamic faithful gathered to pray, metres away from the place of worship first targeted by the gunman.

In attendance was the prime minister Jacinda Ardern who, wearing a hijab as a mark of respect, cited a saying of the Prophet Muhammad: “When any part of the body suffers, the whole body feels pain. New Zealand mourns with you – we are one.”

Her brief speech was followed by the adhan, the Islamic call to prayer, seemingly appreciated by Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Then two minutes of silence, observed nationwide.

Gamil Fouda, imam of the Al Noor Mosque, himself a survivor of the violence, told the crowd that he had seen “hatred and rage” in the eyes of the killer, but that the nation’s response to the terror wreaked on innocent worshippers had, by contrast, shown the world “an example of love and unity”.

Continuing, he echoed the prime minister’s call for heightened global action against hate and racism, noting pointedly: “Islamophobia kills.”

Jacinda Ardern’s response to the tragedy has offered both solace and strength, comforting mourning communities while moving quickly to address the availability of devastating weapons – her government has already banned the semi-automatic weapons used by the killer.

But behind her words stand New Zealanders themselves, who have organised rings of human shields around mosques and fundraising drives, with countless volunteers donating time and resources to those in need.

Among those who have put themselves forward to guard mosques are members of the Mongrel Mob, New Zealand’s best-known gang, which has active chapters in most large towns. Three members visibly displaying symbols of the movement on their clothing were spotted paying their respects at Friday’s vigil.

One of the trio, identifying himself as “Rome da World”, said he had been at Hagley almost every day since the terror attack and had “[lent] out my car ... we’ve been there to deliver food, to help them shop, we’ve just been here practically every day to just support in whatever way we can”.

The group wanted “to show the wider community, our Muslim community that we’re here”, he said, adding that he was willing to protect worshippers at Friday prayers for “as long as necessary”.

The ‘scarves in solidarity’ campaign was organised in response to reports that some Muslim women were feeling too afraid to wear their headscarves in public following the attacks (Emanuel Stoakes)

Also on visible display were the first fruits of a campaign to wear “scarves in solidarity” with Muslims. The quickly organised national movement developed on social media, inspired by reports that some Muslim women were feeling too afraid to wear their headscarves in public following the attacks.

Carolyn Robertson, who is active in organising “Wear a Headscarf Friday” in Christchurch, told The Independent that: “I thought this was something we could all do, to help Muslim women feel safe and to know they are not alone.

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive. From the Facebook pages, it looks like over 15,000 women across New Zealand are involved, but there will be more who have heard about it through other channels. I’ve heard of shops selling out of headscarves,” she added.

Friday’s vigil was followed by a more sombre affair, as burials continued elsewhere in the city. The public were invited to attend if they wished.

New Zealand opens parliament session with reading from Quran

Kokab, who declined to give her full name, attended many burial ceremonies this week. She lost nine friends in the attacks and is coping with her grief, she says, by giving and receiving support in the community.

“All the Muslims are cooking, helping each other, bringing food to the families. And not just Muslims: Kiwis, Hindus, Sikhs, everyone is together,” she added.

Pausing for a moment, and referring to the killer for the first time in the conversation, she added: “He is alone, everyone else is together.”

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