DARKEST BEFORE DAWN

THIS IS WHAT LEADERSHIP LOOKS LIKE. In the wake of the Christchurch terror attack, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern and her coalition government moved swiftly. First, they instituted a ban on assault rifles 72 hours after the shootings occurred. Then, she refused to empower the terrorist by hiding his name from the media. Instead, she turned to the families of the victims, paying all of them a visit while donning a black headscarf as a form of respect. Finally, she joined 5,000 people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, at a park to listen to the religion’s call to prayer in a show of solidarity. The attack has shown an egregious side of the human race, but PM Ardern has demonstrated that if we focused on respect and compassion, and stood together as one in spite of our differences, good will prevail. AM