SOUTHLAND SHOWS ITS SUPPORT

People from all walks of life came together throughout Southland yesterday to remember the victims of last Friday’s terrorist attack in Christchurch.

About 200 people gathered at the Invercargill mosque for two minutes of silence.

Afterwards, Imam Dr Reza Abdul-Jabber spoke at prayers in the mosque and read out verses of chapter 87 of the Quran – the same verses that were being read out in the Al Noor mosque in Deans Ave, Christchurch when the attack happened.

‘‘I’ve just come back from Christchurch . . . my brothers and sisters are grieving and mourning but they have no anger towards what’s happened,’’ Abdul-Jabber said.

Police, St John Ambulance and Fire and Emergency personnel attended the two minutes of silence at the Invercargill mosque.

Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt stayed on for prayers. Afterwards, he said he would ask at a city council meeting on Tuesday if other remembrance or support events for victims would be held in the city.

‘‘This [tragedy] has brought New Zealanders together in a way nothing else has.’’

The two minutes of silence at the Invercargill mosque was preceded by a haka performed by 100 pupils of Te Wharekura O Aro Whenua. Kiriwai Komene, 11, said he was honoured to lead the haka, titled Tahu Potiki.

Meanwhile, underneath a peace tree decorated with a thousand paper cranes, Southland Girls’ High School held two minutes of silence.

Global minds teacher Sharee Ineson said the idea for the peace tree came from a project one of her students, Aisha Abdul-Jabbar, did on gun laws, racism and religious stereotyping a few years ago.

In Mataura, most of the community’s Muslims were in Christchurch for memorial services, but those who gathered at the mosque were welcome, Mohammed Faheem said.

Susie Burrows travelled from Heriot with her three young children to be at the mosque.

‘‘I just wanted to go somewhere to show our respect at this time, and to teach the kids about what happened,’’ she said.

Anglican minister the Rev Gary Griffiths-Smith said he wanted to stand in solidarity with the community. ‘‘We want to show support for them and show God’s love is bigger than hate.’’

RACHAEL KELLY/STUFF Brothers Innes Fletcher, 3, and Lachie Fletcher, 5, of Heriot, leave flowers and pictures outside the mosque at Mataura yesterday. Left, a small crowd gathered outside the Mataura mosque before going inside to observe two minutes’ silence.

JOHN HAWKINS/ STUFF Two minutes’ silence is observed in the Invercargill Mosque, which was open to members of the public.

RACHAEL KELLY/STUFF Three-year-old Innes Fletcher, of Heriot, left a picture at the Mataura Mosque that said: ‘‘That bad man should not have had a gun.’’

DAMIAN ROWE Southland Girls’ High School decorated a tree with paper cranes in remembrance of the Christchurch massacre.