WELLINGTON – The first session of the parliament in New Zealand after the horrific attack in Christchurch on the Muslim community commenced with a recitation from the Holy Quran.
Nizam ul Haq Thanvi recited verses from the Quran for the victims of last week’s massacre following which a translation into English was pronounced.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also spoke the Islamic greeting “As-salamu alaykum” or “peace be upon you” at the onset of her passionate speech in which she urged the public to follow her lead and avoid giving the gunman the fame.
The session of Parliament of New Zealand started with the recitation of verses of Holy Quran from Chapter al-Baqarah (The Cow) 153-156 that emphasizes patience, prayers, belief that martyrs are alive, taste of death & justice of the day of judgement. #ChristchurchTERRORISTattack pic.twitter.com/zqJiySgj1v
— Ibrahim Qazi (@miqazi) March 19, 2019
“I implore you, speak the names of those who were lost rather than the name of the man who took them. He is a terrorist. He is a criminal. He is an extremist. But he will, when I speak, be nameless,” she said in her Tuesday’s speech before the lawmakers.
The Prime Minister said the attacker sought many things from his act of terror, but one is notoriety and we in New Zealand will give him nothing, not even his name.
Jacinda Ardern called on social media platforms to do more to combat terror, after the gunman in Christchurch live-streamed his attack on Facebook -though the social media network took down video afterwards.
Ms. Ardern assured MPs that the attacker would face the full force of the law.
She encouraged New Zealanders to acknowledge the grief of the Muslim community this Friday – which is the Muslim day of worship and will mark one week since the shooting.
Later talking to reporters, the New Zealand Prime Minister declared that she will do everything to deny the accused mosque gunman a platform for elevating his white supremacist views.
As many as 49 Muslims were martyred at two mosques in central Christchurch last Friday; forty-one people were shot dead at the Deans Ave mosque, seven were killed at the Linwood Ave attack, and one person shot in the second mosque attack died in hospital.
The Australian born right-wing terrorist Brenton Harrison Tarrant appeared in a local court last week and was charged with murder.
