YOUR ACT WAS ‘INHUMAN’: GRIEFSTRICKEN WIDOW TELLS GUNMAN

The bravery of Naeem Rashid brings his widow some solace, but she will never fill the void left by the loss of her husband and eldest son.

Ambreen Naeem spoke to the High Court at Christchurch yesterday morning, where convicted terrorist Brenton Tarrant is being sentenced for the murder of 51 worshippers at two mosques on 15 March last year.

As well as the 51 murders, he has admitted 40 attempted murder charges and one charge of terrorism. Mrs Naeem’s victim impact statement was read on her behalf, but she personally stepped in to read a Quran verse to the court. Her husband, Rashid, charged at the gunman as he shot at worshippers trying to flee the main prayer room at Al Noor Mosque.

Rashid crashed into Tarrant despite being shot and his actions allowed others to escape the prayer room and saved lives. Her eldest son, Talha Naeem, was also killed in the attack, and the pair were the household’s breadwinners.

She and her two remaining sons now have to pick up the pieces of their lives. Her youngest boy is only 7.

“I had to tell him that his father and Talha were very brave but that they aren’t coming home,” her statement said.

“I had to tell him that they were in heaven with Allah.”

She had struggled to sleep since the attack and the family’s finances were seriously affected. “Unfortunately, ACC has not recognised a son as the primary earner in our household. I’m having to meet all our financial obligations with a fraction of the income we used to have coming in,” her statement said.

She and her husband were both born in Pakistan. He had a successful career in banking, but decided to give it up so he could spend more time with his family and switched to teaching.

They gained New Zealand residency in 2018. She struggled to understand how someone could target her husband and son because of their faith: “He never discriminated against anyone because of their faith or religion”.

Naeem said her husband was a wonderful father.

“He spent a lot of time with his boys ... he taught his boys to grow up to be better people.

“One of my husband’s greatest attributes was his ability to get along with anybody.”

His surviving sons would always feel the honour of their father’s brave actions on March 15, 2019.

The terrorist’s actions might have killed 51 people, but there would be at least 100 converts to Islam in their place, she said.

“He tried to scare us but unfortunately for him he targeted the most positive people.

“I feel stronger - stronger and more positive. The act he committed is inhuman. The only one who compels me to think of him as human is Allah.”

The hearing will continue with more victim impact statements this afternoon and is due to finish tomorrow.