logo
  • Home
  • National
  • Sylhet
    • Moulvibazar
    • Sunamganj
    • Habiganj
  • NRB News
  • UK News
  • International
  • Sports
  • Tourism
  • Entertainment
  • Business
    • Technology
    • Featured
    • Opinion
    • Health
    • Life Style
    • Photo Gallery
    • Sylhet Mirror Team
  • Home
  • National
  • International
  • UK News
  • NRB News
  • Sylhet
  • Sunamganj
  • Moulvibazar
  • Habiganj
  • Business
  • Featured
  • Health
  • Life Style
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Photo Gallery
  • Sports
  • SUST
  • Technology
  • Tourism
  • Sylhet Mirror Team
  • Contact us
  1. Home
  2. International
  3. Silent crowd listens to mosque victims’ names at New Zealand memorial

Silent crowd listens to mosque victims’ names at New Zealand memorial


Published: 29 March 2019, 2:31:19

Thousands stood in silence in a Christchurch park on Friday as the names of 50 people shot dead in two mosques were read out at a national memorial service, with speakers calling for the legacy of the tragedy to be a kinder, more tolerant New Zealand.

Dozens of representatives of governments from around the world joined New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the remembrance service in Hagley Park, near the Al Noor mosque where more than 40 of the victims were killed by a suspected white supremacist during Friday prayers on March 15.

“Our challenge now is to make the very best of us a daily reality. Because we are not immune to the viruses of hate, of

fear, of other. We never have been,” said Ardern, whose handling of the tragedy has won global praise.

“But we can be the nation that discovers the cure. And so to each of us as we go from here, we have work to do,” she said.

Ardern, who wore a Maori cloak known as a kakahu during the service, said the world had to end the vicious cycle of extremism and that it needed a global effort.

“The answer to them lies in a simple concept that is not bound by domestic borders, that isn’t based on ethnicity, power-base or even forms of governance. The answer lies in our humanity,” she said.

Security was tight around the service and New Zealand remains on high security alert. Police Commissioner Mike Bush said it was one of the largest security events ever conducted by police in New Zealand.

‘A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN’

Farid Ahmed, whose wife Husna was one of the 50 killed, told the crowd that, as a man of faith, he had forgiven his wife’s killer because he did not want to have “a heart that is boiling like a volcano”.

“I want a heart that will be full of love and care and full of mercy and will forgive easily, because this heart doesn’t want any more lives to be lost,” he said to applause.

He called for people to work together for peace and to change attitudes to see everyone as part of one family, using Christchurch’s nickname of the Garden City to make his point.

“I may be from one culture, you may come from another culture, I may have one faith, you may have one faith, but together we are a beautiful garden,” Ahmed said.

Kelly Smith, 52, from Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, said she found Ahmed’s speech beautiful.

“I loved what he said: we’re all different flowers, but we all look pretty together and that’s so true,” she said.

Performers during the ceremony included Yusuf Islam, also known as Cat Stevens, who performed his song “Peace Train”.

Two young girls briefly took to the stage in an unscheduled appearance so one could read out her father’s name.

“He passed away on March 15 and he was a really nice man,” one of the unidentified girls said.

Mohamed Mohideen, the President of the Islamic Council of Victoria in Australia, said Ardern’s response helped provide comfort and thanked her for her support of the Muslim community.

The massacre in Christchurch was carried out by a lone gunman who live streamed the attack on Facebook. Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a suspected white supremacist, has been charged with one count of murder and is likely to face more charges when he reappears in court next Friday.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he has been working closely with Ardern to look at issues such as gun laws and blocking extremist content on social media.

“There are the laws we need now, to ensure that social media is not weaponized,” Morrison told reporters after the service.

The service was broadcast around the country. Muslim volunteers, some of whom had traveled from Australia and Asia, handed out pamphlets with information about Islam as crowds left the park after the service.

International
Khamenei shortlists three successors amid security concerns: NYT

Khamenei shortlists three successors amid security concerns: NYT

IDF claims interception of 40 Iranian drones

IDF claims interception of 40 Iranian drones

Iran without internet for 60hrs

Iran without internet for 60hrs

Attack on Iran’s nuclear facility a ‘dangerous precedent’: China

Attack on Iran’s nuclear facility a ‘dangerous precedent’: China

Latest News
Khamenei shortlists three successors amid security concerns: NYT
Khamenei shortlists three successors amid security concerns: NYT
IDF claims interception of 40 Iranian drones
IDF claims interception of 40 Iranian drones
Briton arrested for alleged terrorism offences and spying on RAF base in Cyprus
Briton arrested for alleged terrorism offences and spying on RAF base in Cyprus
Hottest day of the year as temperatures reach a scorching 33.2C in London
Hottest day of the year as temperatures reach a scorching 33.2C in London
Eight arrested at pro-Palestine rally as thousands gather in over 30C heat
Eight arrested at pro-Palestine rally as thousands gather in over 30C heat
Government is doing good work, showing us way: Fakhrul
Government is doing good work, showing us way: Fakhrul
Esther Rantzen urges Lords not to block assisted dying
Esther Rantzen urges Lords not to block assisted dying
NHS plans to DNA test all babies to assess disease risk
NHS plans to DNA test all babies to assess disease risk
Liverpool Street station plan a financial ‘gamble’
Liverpool Street station plan a financial ‘gamble’
London councils rank top for environment efforts
London councils rank top for environment efforts
London council confirms two more schools to close leaving eight shut in three years in single borough
London council confirms two more schools to close leaving eight shut in three years in single borough
Child labour undermines economic morality: Sharmin
Child labour undermines economic morality: Sharmin
CA press wing dismisses Turkish journalist’s claims as propaganda
CA press wing dismisses Turkish journalist’s claims as propaganda
Election without reform will lead to another fascist regime: Porwar
Election without reform will lead to another fascist regime: Porwar
Cold shower vs hot shower: What does your body and mind need?
Cold shower vs hot shower: What does your body and mind need?


© 2023 Sylhetmirror.com All Rights Reserved

Editor : Mohammed Abdul Karim (Goni)
Executive Editor : Enamul Haque Renu

Sylhet Mirror Team

Office: Unit 2, 60 Hanbury Street London E1 5JL Email : sylhetmirror@gmail.com

Developed by: Web Design & IT Company in Bangladesh

Go to top