They Are Us / Could we have done more?*
Canterbury people showed remarkable solidarity following the terrorist attacks
of 15 March, but could they do more?
Three words spoken by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern sent a clear message. The attack was not just an attack on the Muslim community, but on all New Zealanders. They are us.
At the memorial service in Hagley Park, Ardern also spoke three words in Arabic: ‘As-salaamu-alaikum’ – ‘Peace be upon you’.
Words make a difference; words have power. The service was trilingual: in English, Arabic, and Māori. It represented a coming together of cultures: a bridge to link people of very different backgrounds who faced a heart-rending, unthinkable loss.
Not everyone may have been able to find the words, Ardern said, but the enormous outpouring of emotion, represented by the wall of flowers and messages left outside the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, left no doubt how
Kiwis felt.
Messages included the following: ‘Kia Kaha Christchurch. You are part of our community and part of our nation. Do not be deceived by one man’s extreme views.’
‘Together We Are Whānau.’
‘This is our home. Everyone is welcome.’
‘Islamophobia will not be tolerated. We are all just humans.’ For all the flowers and heartfelt wishes, I still wondered: Could we as a community have done more? And, what now? How can we develop greater tolerance and understanding?
On the night of the attacks, various international media organisations asked me to file reports, and I then did TV and radio reports and a newspaper article for media in Britain, Northern Ireland, France, Germany, Russia, Turkey, and Canada.
I was asked what kind of a society was Christchurch? What was the attitude to Muslims and migrants? I explained that we are a tolerant society, that the attacker was an outsider who had targeted Christchurch, and that the whole community was deeply shocked.
The reaction in Turkey was especially strong. I was asked: ‘How do you think people should stop Islamophobia?’ Not an easy question. I hope I made the point that being tolerant for different beliefs and backgrounds starts on a personal level.
I might have added that action by the Government is also vital. There was universal praise for the leadership shown by Prime Minister Ardern.
Real leaders seek to bring people together; they don’t divide, or condemn immigrants as invaders.
Christchurch mayor, Lianne Dalziel, said a citizenship ceremony held just after the attacks welcomed 186 new citizens from 36 different countries, many of them Muslims. ‘It was the most powerful and inspiring and uplifting citizenship ceremony that I have presided over.
‘Christchurch is a place that welcomes the diversity that migrants and refugees have brought here. We feel the pain of a city that has offered refuge to people who have come from war-torn lands. We are not going to let [these events] redefine us. We are going to redefine ourselves and state even more clearly that we are united in our opposition to what has happened and united in support of our Muslim brothers and sisters.’
Another sign at the first Hagley Park tribute: ‘Say no to xenophobia. In diversity lies our unity. Stand up to racism.’
I was amazed by the quiet fortitude shown by the
Muslim community.
Mohamed Ali Hassan, originally from Somalia, described the attack as ‘an act of pure evil’.
‘We deserve better, we don’t deserve to be killed for no reason; everyone’s entitled to his beliefs and his thoughts, and his life. We need to love each other, we need to cooperate, we need to talk to each other, we need to show kindness, we need to feel sympathy for each other.’
Osman Ahmed, also originally from Somalia, was shot in the back, neck, and shoulder, and nearly trampled to death, but miraculously he survived with non-life-threatening injuries. The attack was ‘the devil’s work’, he said.
‘We can’t blame the whole community. We need to tell the community, to prevent this kind of thing happening to this beautiful land that we live in together, how we are here not to harm anyone. Come together, be tolerant and work together.’ Both thanked me for hearing their stories.
Javed Khan, who is director for halal protocol for the Federation of Islamic Assocations of New Zealand, echoed the need for tolerance. ‘It’s overwhelming the support we have received from the entire community. The outpouring of love and support is immense. We hope that we continue to have this kind of relationship with the wider community.’
Two things disappointed me. First, I think the memorial service should have been a national day of mourning. Some Christchurch businesses refused to give their staff time off work to attend the service. That’s mean-spirited.
The second thing that surprised me was that some people refused to discuss the attacks. ‘We won’t talk about that. It’s time to move on.’
Canterbury people’s natural reticence and desire for privacy can prove counterproductive. It walls people off.
Many immigrants say it is hard to get to know Kiwis, and find them cliquish.
We can start by learning about different cultures, including food: a wonderful way of sharing a rich experience. We are no longer exclusively a white, Anglo-Saxon, monocultural society. Thank goodness.
I was heartened by how many young people attended the memorial service. For a generation often criticised for being self-absorbed, they showed they thought deeply about the tragedy. ‘There’s some toxic stuff on social media,’ one young person said. Social media? Often it becomes anti-social media.
Dr Bruce Harding, from Christchurch Boys’ High School, passed on a speech to the school given by a young student, Ali Haidari, originally from Afghanistan. ‘Islam is a religion that tells you not to do evil to those who do evil to you, but to deal with them with forgiveness and kindness.
‘The shooter may have achieved his aim of intended carnage in his violent rampage, and he has also clearly generated much heartbreak and disruption among our community. He took away many beautiful people’s lives, but to me and every other thoughtful human being in this country he has totally failed to create hate and despair in us. He is a failure: he has failed to drive a wedge between Muslims and non-Muslims in New Zealand and his violent action has opened new pathways of acceptance.
‘Let’s all stand as one and show the world that we New Zealanders stand as one community together, no matter what.’