New Zealanders join Muslims in prayers a week after attacks
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — New Zealanders observed the Muslim call to prayer Friday in reflecting on the moment one week ago when 50 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques were slain — an act that an imam told the crowd of thousands had left the country broken-hearted but not broken.
In a day without precedent, people across New Zealand listened to the call to prayer on live broadcasts while thousands, including Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, gathered in Hagley Park opposite the Al Noor mosque, where 42 people died.
“New Zealand mourns with you. We are one,” Ardern said.
The call to prayer was observed at 1:30 p.m. and was followed by two minutes of silence.
The Al Noor mosque’s imam, Gamal Fouda, thanked New Zealanders for their support.
“This terrorist sought to tear our nation apart with an evil ideology. But, instead, we have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable,” the imam said.
“We are broken-hearted but we are not broken. We are alive. We are together. We are determined to not let anyone divide us,” he added, as the crowd the city estimated at 20,000 people erupted with applause.
The observance comes the day after the government announced a ban on “military-style” semi-automatic firearms and highcapacity magazines like the weapons that were used in last Friday’s attacks at the Al Noor and nearby Linwood mosques.
Meanwhile, in New York, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres went to the first mosque built in the city to urge people “to reaffirm the sanctity of all places of worship.”
The U.N. chief announced he was asking the head of the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations to develop “an action plan” so all U.N. bodies can help safeguard religious sites.