Flowers are laid outside the Rotorua Islamic Centre. Photo/Ben Fraser
Flowers are laid outside the Rotorua Islamic Centre. Photo/Ben Fraser
Friday 15th, 2019, will be forever etched in our minds as one of our darkest days. One hundred innocent Muslim people gunned down; 50 of those innocent victims died at the hands of a deranged person strung-up on hatred.
It is unbelievable to comprehend such hatred. I felt so numb asI watched this horrific scene unfolding - unimaginable terrorist attacks taking place in our country.
What saddens me even more ... the family and friends of all those innocent people will live with this barbaric atrocity for the rest of their lives.
I wish the Muslim communities personal strength to be able to continue their lives in peaceful surroundings once again.
Two hundred years ago, people left poverty and their Anglican church roots in rural East Anglia for the new industrial cities of England. There they built new non-conforming churches and new roots. When our family came to New Zealand in 1974, I changed from agnostic Englishman to a member of St Peter's Paekakariki, a church which became a foundation and source of friends in the new land.
For Muslims migrating here, the language and cultural change are huge compared with what we grew into. And the mosque is a key to the new home. The mosque massacre in Christchurch has hurt their migration and search for belonging.
