‘I don’t want to be here alone’
and this was why so many people have travelled thousands of kilometres to be present.
He also said Australian politicians and media figures needed to learn a lesson from the atrocity in Christchurch.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison in particular needed to find a new way to communicate with the Muslim community and win trust.
‘‘I don’t know if that’s going be possible given his past, but he needs to try it and if you can’t, he doesn’t deserve to be the prime minister.’’
It is expected that funerals will be held at 11am and 3pm over coming days as bodies are released by the coroner.
A mass burial is expected to take place at some stage.
Inside the new fencing, the 50 graves have been prepared in accordance with Muslim tradition, though it is expected that some of the victims of Friday’s shootings will be repatriated to their home countries.
The father and son buried first occupied plots 87 and 88.
Members of the Muslim community have been frustrated at the amount of time it has taken to release the bodies for burial, though leaders say they understand why the process has taken so long.
Abdul Aziz, the Afghani Australian hailed as a hero for fighting off the attacker from the Linwood mosque, said he supported authorities taking their time to ensure that the attacker faced justice.
Ali Reza, a Pakistani New Zealander who lost 12 friends in the attack on the Al Noor Mosque, said the community had been overwhelmed by the support of the New Zealand community and Government, and in particular by the leadership of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
‘‘Anything they can do, they do,’’ he said, noting how quickly visas had been arranged for families to travel to New Zealand and financial support provided for the funerals. ‘‘I am proud to live in New Zealand.’’
In a demonstration of solidarity, the New Zealand Government invited an imam to intone the Koranic bismillah in praise of Allah at the opening of the parliamentary session on Tuesday.
Ardern followed up by saying ‘‘Wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh’’ – ‘‘May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be with you too.’’
Ardern was in Christchurch yesterday visiting emergency workers and Cashmere High School, which lost two students and a recent past student.