THE VICTIMS
On Friday, March 15, a gunman opened fire at two Christchurch mosques as worshippers met to pray. These are the 50 men, women and children who died that day.
Haji-Daoud Nabi, 71
Nabi ran the Afghan Association in Christchurch. He was fatally shot at the Masjid Al Noor in Deans Ave as he tried to shield another person, according to his 43-year-old son, Omar Nabi. ‘‘He was a father and an uncle to people who had none,’’ said friend Shamim Homayun. ‘‘He was always giving something away, whether it was his time and advice, or sharing food. And he saw humankind as one.’’
Sayyad Milne, 14
Sayyad, a Cashmere High School student, grew up in Corsair Bay, near Lyttelton. He was killed in the attack on the Masjid Al Noor in Deans Ave. Milne was described by his halfsister, Brydie Henry, as a good-natured, sporty teenager who loved football. Sayyad’s mother, Noraini, was also in the mosque but managed to escape, Henry said. Sayyad had two other siblings, 15-year-old twins Shuayb and Cahaya. Sayyad had dreams of being an international footballer, according to Cahaya. He played goalie. ‘‘He was a loving and kind brother.’’
Syed Jahandad Ali, 34
Ali, originally from Pakistan, had worked as a senior dynamics developer at software company Intergen since 2012. He is survived by his wife, Amna, and three children – Meesha, 4; Aisha, 2; and Mohammad, 6 months. His colleagues at Intergen have described him as ‘‘a kind and gentle man’’.
Ansi Alibava, 25
Alibava, who was killed at the Masjid Al Noor in Deans Ave, came to New Zealand from India to study a master’s of agribusiness management degree at Lincoln University. She was eagerly preparing for her graduation ceremony in May, a friend said. Alibava was married to Abdul Nazer Ponnath Hamsa. She worked part-time as an intern at Lincoln Agritech and at Kmart Riccarton. ‘‘The life Ansi and I had together, the plans we made, the family we hoped to build here, all vanished in a moment of senseless anti-immigrant rage,’’ Ponnath Hamsa said.
Zeeshan Raza, 38
Raza, a mechanical engineer from Karachi, Pakistan, moved to New Zealand last year. He lived in Auckland before moving to Christchurch for work in December. Raza and his parents, Ghulam Hussain and Karam Bibi, were killed at the Linwood Masjid. Raza is survived by his younger sister, who lives in Karachi.
Khaled Alhaj Mustafa, 44
Mustafa arrived in New Zealand with his family last year. He was killed at the Masjid Al Noor, said Syrian Solidarity New Zealand spokesman Ali Akil. Mustafa’s son Hamza, 16, is also among the dead, while a second son, Zaid, 13, was injured. Friend Dana Joukhai said they had hoped to join family in America but were unable to after United States President Donald Trump’s travel ban. Mustafa had a longstanding love of animals, particularly for horses, and worked as a farrier in Syria.
Mian Naeem Rashid, in his 40s Ozair Kadir, 24
Kadir, from India, was a student pilot at the International Aviation Academy of New Zealand. He had been in Christchurch for about a year, according to a member of the Indian community.
Ghulam Hussain, 66
Hussain is the father of Zeeshan Raza and husband of Karam Bibi. Hussain and Bibi travelled to New Zealand from Karachi, Pakistan, to visit their son in February. The trio were killed at the Linwood Masjid. Hussain is survived by his daughter.
Hamza Mustafa, 16
Hamza, a Cashmere High School student, was the son of Khaled Mustafa, who was also killed. He arrived in New Zealand with his family last year. The Syrian family had lived in Jordan before moving to NZ.
Talha Naeem, 21
Naeem was shot at the Masjid Al Noor in Deans Ave. His father, Mian Naeem Rashid, tried to wrest the gun from the shooter.
Ashraf El-Moursy Ragheb, 54
Originally from Cairo, Egypt, Ragheb moved to New Zealand in the 1990s, according to a member of Christchurch’s Egyptian community. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Karam Bibi, 63
Bibi is the mother of Zeeshan Raza and the wife of Ghulam Hussain. Bibi and Hussain travelled to New Zealand from Karachi, Pakistan, to visit their son last month. The trio were killed at the Linwood Masjid. Bibi is survived by her daughter.
Ali Elmadani, 65
Elmadani was a retired engineer. His daughter Maha said her father was strong ‘‘so that’s what we are all trying to do, for his sake’’. He and his wife moved to New Zealand from the United Arab Emirates in 1998. ‘‘He considered New Zealand home and never thought something like this would happen here.’’
Tariq Omar, 24
Omar is remembered for his kind and humble nature. Friends said he got along with everybody, and excelled at sport and in class. He is a former student of Cashmere High School.
Haroon Mahmood, 40
Mahmood worked in banking in Pakistan and tutored in economics and statistics at Lincoln University from 2014 to 2016. He also lectured in business at the Linguis International Institute in Christchurch from 2014 until April 2017, before joining Canterbury College in May 2017. Dr Haroon Mahmood is survived by his wife and two children, aged 13 and 11.
Osama Adnan Youssef Abu Kwaik, 37
The civil engineer was born in Gaza, Palestine, and raised in Egypt. He studied at the American University in Cairo, before moving to Christchurch in 2017 with his wife and two children. In New Zealand, the couple had another child. His brother, Youssef Abu Kwaik, who lives in California, described Osama as a ‘‘kind and decent man’’, who loved his family and his adopted city of Christchurch. He was applying for New Zealand citizenship.
Atta Elayyan, 33
Elayyan, originally from Kuwait, leaves behind his wife, Farah, and daughter Aya, 2. He was a popular member of the Christchurch tech industry and goalkeeper for the national and Canterbury men’s futsal teams. He was shot as he prayed at the Masjid Al Noor in Deans Ave. Friends have described him as a ‘‘loving father and husband, passionate technologist, loyal friend, and beautiful human’’. The Givealittle page set up to support his family says: ‘‘Atta had a passion for supporting and helping others in the good times and bad.’’
Mathullah Safi, 55
Safi came from Afghanistan to New Zealand with a relative via India about nine years ago and worked at various jobs in Christchurch. He was killed at the Masjid Al Noor in Deans Ave. He is survived by his wife, six sons and one daughter.
Syed Areeb Ahmed, 26
Ahmed had recently moved to Christchurch from Karachi, Pakistan, to work as a chartered accountant on secondment at PricewaterhouseCoopers to support his family. He was an only son. One of his uncles, Muhammad Muzaffar Khan, described him as deeply religious.
Mojammel Hoq, 30
Hoq had been in Christchurch for more than three years and worked in healthcare. He planned to return home to Bangladesh in September to marry his girlfriend, start a family and open a dental clinic for those less fortunate. His cousin, Abdul Hai, said Hoq was ‘‘a friend and brother’’ to him. ‘‘He was such a nice human being; he was humble and competent. He always appreciated all kinds of people . . . [this has] left a big hole in our hearts.’’
Husna Ahmed, 44
Ahmed was killed when she returned to the Masjid Al Noor in Deans Ave to check on her husband, Farid, after getting some children to safety. Farid, who is paraplegic after a crash in Nelson nearly 20 years ago, said his wife of 24 years was a ‘‘very courageous and caring’’ person and a ‘‘dedicated wife’’. ‘‘We worked as a team, we were extremely happy.’’ Losing Ahmed, who was originally from Bangladesh, was a ‘‘big loss’’ for him and their 15-year-old daughter.
Farhaj Ahsan, 30
Ahsan was a father of two, a baby aged 7 months and a 2-year-old. He moved to New Zealand from Hyderabad, India, several years ago and obtained a master’s degree at Auckland University, his uncle, Idris Ansari, said. Before his death, Ahsan worked as a software engineer in Christchurch. ‘‘He was definitely a very nice gentleman. We are shocked,’’ Ansari said.
Maheboob Allarakha Khokhar, 65
Khokhar was due to return home to Ahmedabad in India last Sunday after visiting his son, Imran Khokhar, in Christchurch. He died at the Masjid Al Noor in Deans Ave.
Mohammad Omar Faruk, 36
Faruk leaves behind a wife, who is three months’ pregnant and living in Bangladesh, his friend Md Mehedi said. Faruk was a great person, who always had a ‘‘peaceful smile on his face and a genuine helpful heart’’, Mehedi said of his former flatmate. Faruk, a welder, came to New Zealand more than three years ago. He was married in Bangladesh in 2017 and had planned to return there to start a business. Faruk was ‘‘so excited’’ that he was going to be a father, Mehedi said.
Junaid Ismail, 36
Ismail was with his twin brother, Zahid, when he was fatally shot. His brother managed to escape with his wife. Ismail leaves behind a wife, three young children and a mother who relied on him to care for her. He owned and ran a family business called Springs Road Dairy. ‘‘I couldn’t find a more softly spoken, shy, beautiful personality,’’ said Ismail’s cousin, Javed Dadabhai. Customers and suppliers described Ismail as a gentle, humble person, who treated everyone respectfully.
Kamel Darwish, 38 Muhammad Haziq Mohd-Tarmizi, 17 Muhammed Abdusi Samad, 66
Originally from Bangladesh, Muhammed Abdusi Samad was a lecturer at Lincoln University and frequently led prayers at the Masjid Al Noor in Deans Ave.
Hussein Al-Umari, 35
Al-Umari was a regular at the Masjid Al Noor in Deans Ave, where he was killed. Hussein’s family moved to New Zealand from the United Arab Emirates 22 years ago. They said AlUmari had worked in the travel industry. Previously, he worked for VBase in Christchurch.
Suhail Shahid, 35 Hussein Moustafa, 70 Muse Nur Awale, 77
Awale, originally from Somalia, had been in Christchurch for about 30 years, former Muslim Association president Mohammed Jama said. Awale was married to Muhubo Ali Jama and they had no children. Until last year, he was a marriage celebrant for the Muslim Association of Canterbury. He previously taught religious studies at Hagley College and the Masjid Al Noor.
Mucad Ibrahim, 3
Mucad, whose family is from Somalia, was with his father and brother at the Masjid Al Noor in Deans Ave when the shooting began. His father and brother escaped. Mucad was ‘‘energetic, playful and liked to smile and laugh a lot’’, his brother Abdi Ibrahim said. The 3-year-old was born in Christchurch.
Abdelfattah Qasem, 60 Amjad Hamid, 57 Ahmed Gamaluddin Abdel-Ghany, 68
Abdel-Ghany, his wife and son immigrated from Egypt in 1996. Abdel-Ghany had previously worked in the navy and at a hotel as a rooms division manager. In Christchurch, he got a job at a steel company. He also ran a souvlaki shop with his wife and a food truck in Cathedral Square called Egyptian Donuts. His son, Omar, described him as ‘‘a great man with the purest of hearts’’. ‘‘He was kind, gentle, compassionate, generous and extremely loving to all those around him.’’
Lilik Abdul Hamid, 58
Hamid, from Medan, Indonesia, had two children. Indonesia’s foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, spoke with Hamid’s wife and ‘‘conveyed deepest condolences and sympathy’’, an Indonesian embassy spokeswoman said.
Musa Vali Suleman Patel, 60
Patel, the former imam of the Lautoka Jame Masjid in Fiji, was visiting Christchurch to see his son. He is described as a ‘‘selfless’’ leader of the Fiji Muslim League. ‘‘Hafiz Musa was a highly respected member of the Fiji Muslim League and served selflessly as an imam, teacher, mentor and was much sought after as a powerful orator and speaker,’’ said Fiji Muslim League Lautoka branch president Naved Khan. Patel is survived by his wife, Saira Bibi Patel, three daughters and two sons.
Mounir Soliman, 68
Soliman was a design engineer and quality manager at Scotts Engineering, Christchurch, since 1997. He was killed at the Masjid Al Noor on Deans Ave. Scotts spokeswoman Glenda Hillstead said Soliman was a ‘‘lovely man’’, who would be missed for his personality, as well as his vital role in the company. He never missed Friday prayers, would go to the mosque every day and also prayed at work. He had no children and is survived by his wife, Ekram. They frequently travelled back to their former homeland of Egypt.
Ashraf Ali, 58
Ali lived in Fiji, where he ran a taxi company in Suva. He came to New Zealand about twice a year to visit family, and arrived in Christchurch about a week before his death at the Masjid Al Noor. His wife died about six months ago, according to his brother, Ramzan. Ali’s first wife, with whom he had a daughter, died four years ago. Ramzan was in the mosque during the massacre and hid among the bodies. Ashraf ‘‘was a gentleman’’, Ramzan said, gentle and even-tempered.
Mohammed Imran Khan, 47
Khan was known as Imran Bhai to his family and friends. He was a hard worker with three businesses, including the Indian Grill restaurant and takeaway in Hills Rd, the Macah halal butchery, also in Hills Rd, and a cafe in St Albans. He died at the Linwood Masjid and is survived by his wife and 15-year-old son. Friend Sukhvinder Singh said Khan was a very kind and helpful man, who was well loved in the Indian and Muslim communities. He was a regular for prayers at the mosque and often brought food from his restaurant to share.
Ramiz Arifbhai Vora, 28
Vora and his father, Arif, were killed in the attack on the Masjid Al Noor on Deans Ave. Vora, who was originally from Gujarat, India, lived and worked in Christchurch, according to a member of the local Indian community. He and his wife had just had a baby daughter in the week before the attack, the man said. It was their first child.
Abdukadir Elmi, 78
Sheikh Abdukadir was a well-known figure in the Christchurch Muslim community. He survived the Somalian civil war, and came to New Zealand about 10 years ago with his family. He was among ‘‘the most recognisable faces in the mosque’’, his son, Said, wrote in a Facebook post. ‘‘Kids would run to grab his chair when they heard the noise of his cane hitting against the ground upon his entrance. He was loved for his generosity and his fundraising efforts.’’ He is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, five sons and four daughters.
Mohamad Moosid Mohamedhosen, 54
Mohamedhosen was born in Mauritius, where he came from the town of Vacoas. He had lived in England, where he started a graphic design firm, according to company records. He lived in Christchurch’s Linwood suburb, and was killed at the Linwood Islamic Centre.
Linda Armstrong, 64
Armstrong grew up in West Auckland. She moved to Christchurch in recent years to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren. Her nephew, Kyron Goose, said: ‘‘Linda had a huge heart and what little she had, she was more than happy to share with her family and Muslim community.’’
Ashraf Ali, 61
Ali moved to New Zealand from Fiji 17 years ago, his elder brother, Shabeer Ali told the Fiji Times. Ali has a son. His family described him as a loving and caring man who never missed any prayer at the mosque, according to the newspaper.
Arifbhai Mohamedali Vora, 58
Vora, from Gujarat, India, was in Christchurch to visit his son, Ramiz. The pair were killed in the attack on the Masjid Al Noor on Deans Ave.
Mohsin Al-Harbi, 63
Al-Harbi lived in New Zealand for 25 years and worked in water desalination. Son Feras AlHarbi said his father was a part-time imam, who sometimes gave the Friday sermon. Mohsin’s wife, Manal, searched for her husband in the chaos of last Friday and had a heart attack, needing hospital treatment.
Zakaria Bhuiyan Originally from Bangladesh, Bhuiyan was about to move to Auckland to take up an engineering job.