Jummah Remembrance: Vigil for Lives Taken in Christchurch
21/3/2019
A vigil has been organised by a
coalition of community groups led by Muslims, tangata whenua
and migrants standing in firm solidarity with Aotearoa’s
Muslim community, following the violent white supremacist
terrorist attack targeting two Christchurch mosques. The
event is planned to take place a week after the massacre, on
Friday the 22nd of March at 6 pm to mourn and remember the
50 lives that were unjustly taken. This is a firm rejection
of Islamophobia and xenophobic/racist violence. More than
10, 000 are expected to attend the vigil at Auckland
Domain.
“Many of us are deep in grief, in sadness and anger at the white supremacist and Islamophobic terrorist acts that took place in Ōtautahi yesterday. At times like these, we need to look out for each other, check in with our friends, colleagues and family. At times like these, we are carrying the pain and trauma of witnessing directly or indirectly of the horrific violence enacted by white supremacist and Islamophobic ideologies.” said Mehwish, vigil organiser.
“We are shocked and grieving the
tragic loss of lives. Muslim communities in Aotearoa and
around the world have been ongoing targets of Islamophobic
scapegoating since 9/11, and it is important that we view
the Christchurch massacre in this context. We must confront
the fact that Aotearoa’s Muslim communities have been
under state surveillance for two decades, yet a white
supremacist terrorist openly publicised and orchestrated an
attack on the community, with his movements
unintercepted.” continues Nishhza, vigil
spokesperson
Rhetoric such as “This is Not Us”
which claims that the Christchurch shooting is atypical of
New Zealand history is dishonest and should be questioned.
Muslim and migrant New Zealanders are not unfamiliar targets
of Islamophobic and racist abuse. In schools, in job
seeking, at their workplace, on public transport, and at
their places of worship are all sites where almost every
non-pakeha New Zealander will have endured covert or overt
racial violence.
Aotearoa is a settler colonial state
founded on racist ideology. It has seen a 200-year long
history of abuse and exploitation of Māori and Māori land,
and many on social media assert that Friday’s massacre is
a product of this history. Pākehā continue to see for
themselves better social outcomes compared to tangata whenua
and migrant communities and furthermore, migrant and Māori
communities are routinely pitted against each other in the
mainstream media. The coalition of groups: Migrants Against
Racism and Xenophobia, Auckland Peace Action, Shakti NZ,
Racial Equity Aotearoa, and Asians Supporting Tino
Rangatiratanga are committed to standing together against
Islamophobia and racism while upholding tino
rangatiratanga.
“I think it’s really important to unite against white supremacy. I think it’s really important to show, as a Māori woman, that Muslim people are welcome here,” said Māori spokesperson Sina Brown-Davis, Auckland Peace Action.
Amongst the speakers at the
vigil are Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson, Green Party
MP Golriz Ghahraman, Sharon Hawke from Ngāti Whātua o
Orākei, Farida Sultana from Shakti NZ, Faisal Al-Asaad,
Israa Falah, Mahmoud Shary, Tamkeen Saeid, and Rafiqah
Solomon from Migrants Against Racism and Xenophobia. The
vigil will be opened by Ngāti Whatua.
ENDS