A year on, what has changed?
FOR MANY, THE STRUGGLE WITH GRIEF IS STILL REAL
We were a country united in grief in March last year, a sea of flowers carpeted Christchurch’s Memorial Wall, well-wishers streamed into mosques across Aotearoa and dug deep to donate millions for bereaved families facing an uncertain future without loved ones.
Determined to shower the Muslim community with kindness in the face of hatred, Kiwis rallied to show support in any way they could, led by our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who declared they had “our love and our support because this is your home.”
But despite the warm and generous sentiments, a leading voice on the Islamic Women’s Council, Anjum Rahman, admits it’s difficult to see lasting change after alerting authorities of yet another terror threat against the Al Noor mosque just two weeks out from the first anniversary.
“I would say we are still not feeling particularly safe at the moment,“she tells the Weekly, shaken by the latest menacing online communication.
Worryingly, she reveals our Islamic community has been subject to a number of similar threats since 100 worshippers were left dead or injured at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques.
While applauding the crackdown on semi-automatic weapons along with the Christchurch Call to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online, Anjum (53) says there’s still a long way to go before the disturbing underlying racism that exists in our community is eliminated.
“There’s certainly a significant portion of the community who want to see change and have been doing what they can to bring people together, or to talk about how things might change.
“And then there is the darker side. There were a small number of people who felt emboldened and empowered by what happened to be more verbally and physically abusive. We have seen online threats and jokes, that are not jokes, about violence against Muslims or mosques.”
Meanwhile, many families with relatives impacted by the attacks remain deeply affected and have faced a number of difficulties adjusting to their changed lives. The fallout from the events of that day have been far-reaching, with at least one family-owned business forced to close and relationships breaking down.
“They’re still very much struggling with mental health issues and needing support,” Anjum tells. “The community has rallied around and provided as much as they can, but even so I’m aware of one person that has had to shut down a family business because she couldn’t keep it going and there’s also been some separation of families as well. There’s still a lot of grief and trauma.”
She’s urging authorities to keep supporting victims’ families, especially when it comes to long-term mental health care; at least 30 women were left widowed while more than a dozen families have been left without a parent.
“It does take a village, and those kids that have been affected by this need a lot of love and care, not just from their own families but through the schools and communities.”
She says there is still a need for conversations and action in New Zealand to combat hate.
Since last year, Anjum has been working on a project called the Inclusive Aotearoa Collective, looking to develop a national strategy on belonging and inclusion.
“It’s just thinking about that wider conversation about how we combat hate. Online hate is a huge issue but it doesn’t exist separately to offline hate − both fuel each other − and what we need to do as a country is make sure hate doesn’t rise and spread, and that we have something that is strong and meaningful and resilient to ensure that our people are not pitted against each other.”
For more details visit, inclusiveaotearoa.nz.