Light in the dark
Thousands of people attended a vigil in Hamilton on Saturday night, united in grief and support of the Muslim community.
Thousands of people stood as one in Hamilton to support the victims of the Christchurch terror attack. They gathered at Claudelands Park on Saturday night opposite the Jamia Masjid Mosque where flowers, messages of unity, and soft toys covered the footpath.
Leading the vigil was Hamilton mayor Andrew King, who delivered a message of unity.
‘‘Tonight we show we are proudly united as a city and a country,’’ King told the crowd. ‘‘We send a clear message – we are not afraid.’’
Waikato Muslim Association’s Dr Asad Mohsin followed King, and thanked people for the support: ‘‘We still don’t know how this happened, but we won’t let this change New Zealand.
‘‘A lot of good has come out of this. People didn’t know where the mosque was, where the Muslim community was. But we will keep this going. We are so overwhelmed, as a Muslim community, with the support. We are thinking how can we pay back this outpouring of support. Keep us in your prayers.’’
Before the vigil started, Mohsin had given an impromptu speech on the footpath in front of the Hamilton mosque, where people had been putting down flowers and messages.
Through tears, Mohsin told the crowd the Muslim community is overwhelmed by the support: ‘‘It has given us the strength to continue on.’’
Three generations of the BradshawTimms family arrived at the vigil hoping there would be plenty of support for the Muslim community.
Friday’s events were devastating, they said, and they felt like they needed to be at the vigil to show their support for the community.
Another to bring her family was Saphire, who wanted only the first names of her family published. She brought her three children, Te Manuka, nine, and five-year-old twins Anewa and Mani, with her.
‘‘I brought my children as we really feel for the community. We have driven past [the mosque] wanting to get to know them but feeling too rude to do so, but this awful event has broken down the barriers and we should be here supporting them,’’ Saphire said.
‘‘New Zealand should have been a safe place for them, but it wasn’t. I want to show my children our neighbours are just like us Ma¯ ori and we shouldn’t let an act of violence continue to divide us.’’
Friends Manjit Singh Rehill and Jiwan Singh Dhaliwal also attended the vigil.
‘‘It is terrible, it should never happen anywhere. All you can really do now is keep calm and mourn.’’
Archdeacon Malcolm French, vicar of Cambridge, was impressed by how many people turned out, and of all
races and faiths.
‘‘I saw Ma¯ ori people, Pakeha, Sikh, Muslims and it was an impressive expression of the communities rejection of what happened yesterday.
‘‘At St Andrews in Cambridge at our 9.30am service we are intending to toll the bell 49 times I am hoping it will still only be 49 times.’’
Then through tears, French said they will have a moment’s silence, they will then sing the national anthem.
‘‘One of the things that have occurred to me in the last day that I love about my adopted country is that the national anthem is a bilingual prayer for peace, it’s not a great assertion of triumph, it’s not a declaration of valour: it’s prayer for peace.’’
The night ended with the Hamilton Community Gospel choir leading a singalong with Walk in Love, the national anthem followed by Tutira Mai.
There was a strong police presence at the venue but there were no reports of trouble.
We are so overwhelmed, as a Muslim community, with the support . . . it has given us the strength to carry on.’’
Dr Asad Mohsin Waikato Muslim Association