Muslims buoyed by compassion
A Nelson-based Muslim is urging people not to engage with any content online about violence or discussions around the Christchurch terror attacks.
‘‘The more you engage, you bring him closer to his plan,’’ Mohammad said.
He said members of the Muslim community in Nelson felt safe. They were buoyed by the many messages, kind gestures and compassion shown to them since the horrific events of last Friday.
‘‘Maybe the surprise doesn’t come from the fact that it happened, because it has happened before. But the surprise came from the fact it happened here in New Zealand – that was really the shocking part for all of us,’’ Mohammad said.
The Christchurch attacks were unprecedented but so was the reaction from New Zealanders, he said.
‘‘That is the part that is extremely impressive. I’ve lived in a few places in the world, and there have been events around us, but to be honest, I’d have never expected to see such a beautiful, kind, loving, compassionate reaction from the whole country in so many ways.’’
Mohammad is Egyptian and lives in Nelson with his wife Leela, who is Danish. They met in Brazil, and have a young baby.
Following the attacks, many people were getting to know ‘‘how Muslims really are and who they are’’, Mohammad said. He encouraged a continuation of clear, direct communication between members of different faiths. ‘‘If we start thinking, ‘They’re not like us’, that’s where the conflict starts happening.’’
Just because one man ‘‘from a certain race picks up a gun and decides to kill a bunch of people, that does not mean that he can speak on behalf of that race’’, Mohammad said. It was the same with Muslims. ‘‘Just because you see some crazies on the media, that does not mean that is the majority.’’
He urged non-Muslim people to verify the credibility of any source claiming to speak on behalf of Muslim people. They should ask their Muslim friends and colleagues or do their own research. ‘‘The truth is not on the internet.’’
While he stressed he was not speaking on behalf of the families of the victims, Mohammad said the majority of Muslims believed their loved ones were in a better place after they died.
‘‘The word Islam . . . comes from istislam in Arabic, and that means to surrender, basically. This means that we do believe that our time in this world is so short . .. and we need to leave the planet in a state of surrendering – that this is just part of the journey, this is just part of the bigger picture.
‘‘If you ask any Muslim, ‘Could these people have lived any longer’?’ – actually, no. This was their time, regardless of their age, their physical conditions. This was their time, and the means of taking their lives was the brutal part, and that is where the anger comes.’’
People should be proud of their accomplishments in life, he said.
‘‘This is what people should start focusing on, instead of just looking and saying, ‘I am this colour, I am this religion, I am that nationality, and this is where my pride comes from’.’’
Mohammad said he would like to bring a sense of unity between people as one of his accomplishments. ‘‘That would be something I could live with.’’