Imam says New Zealand is broken hearted but not broken
CH RI STCH URCH , 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 leafy 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 followed by two minutes of silence. Hundreds of Muslim men at the park sat in socks or bare feet. One man in the front row was in a Christchurch Hospital wheelchair.
The Al Noor mosque’s imam, Gam al 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 brokenhearted 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.
Later in the day, a mass funeral was held to bury 26 of the victims at a cemetery where more than a dozen already have been laid to rest.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, imam Gamal Fouda and thousands of others congregated in Hagley Park opposite the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch to observe the call to prayer and remember victims of the mosque attacks. Family members took turns passing around shovels and wheelbarrows to bury their loved ones. Friday’s burials included the youngest victim, 3year-old Mucaad Ibrahim.
Christchurch native Fahim Imam, 33, returned to the city for Friday’s service. He moved away three years ago and now lives in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.
“It’s just amazing to see how the country and the community have come together — blows my mind, actually,” Imam said before the event.
When he got off the plane Friday morning, he saw someone holding a sign that said “jenaza,” denoting Muslim funeral prayer. He said others were offering free rides to and from the prayer service.
He called it surreal to see the mosque where he used to pray surrounded by flowers.
The observance comes the day after the government announced a ban on “military-style” semiautomatic firearms and high-capacity magazines like the weapons that were used in last Friday’s attacks at the Al Noor and nearby Linwood mosques. ( AP)