Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Saturday, March 23, visited the Masjid Umar in Mt Roskill, Auckland and met the members of the Muslim community there.
The remembrance meeting was held to acknowledge the work of the entire community including NZ government, and NZ Police in bringing assurance, safety and peace back into the community after the vile Christchurch mosque attacks.
The mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch on Friday, March 15, took the lives of 50 individuals including men, women and children and injured another 48 people who suffered moderate to critical injuries, some of them are still fighting for their lives in hospital.
The attack that uprooted hundreds of families and put a permanent scar in the memories of New Zealand was taken with a sense of profound grief not just by the Muslim community but also by different communities in New Zealand. People across the nation came out in thousands at separate candle vigils and solidarity meetings condemning the act of violence as ‘an evil act of terror’.
Over one thousand men, women and children from the Muslim community turned up at the afternoon event at the mosque on Saturday along with Auckland Mayor Phil Goff, MP for Mt Roskill Michael Wood, National List MPs Melissa Lee and Dr Parmjeet Parmar.
The Prime Minister was welcomed by the Chairman of the mosque Ahmed Bhamji and Imam Mohammed Patel. Mr Bhamji, who lost his brother-in-law Imam Musa Patel in the attack lauded the efforts of the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for bringing the nation together at this hour of grief.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, clad in a hijab met the community with an Islamic greeting ‘Assalam Alaikum’, followed by a quote by Prophet Mohammad and expressed her gratitude towards the mosque for opening its doors to the community.
She lauded the Muslim community for opening their doors and showing hospitality and sharing peach and love with fellow community members.
“At a time when it would have been completely justifiable to close the doors and lock the gates, you did the exact opposite, and on behalf of New Zealand, we thank you for that,” PM Jacinda Ardern said at the event.
“You are the reflection of who we are,” she further added.
Mr Bhamji welcomed the Prime Minister and other dignitaries to the event and choked as he offered his speech, thanking the community for their untiring support towards the Muslim community and the mosques across the country.
"We are forever grateful the day that our hearts were broken, you looked straight at us ... and spoke to us in a way that restored our hearts, restored our faith and restored our community," Mr Bhamji said acknowledging the efforts of the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for showing her solidarity towards the Muslim community.
“I am from Fiji, I am a migrant but seeing the love of the community today I felt like a New Zealander,” Mr Bhamji further added.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in her speech mentioned that she had received numerous accolades and acknowledgements from the global Muslim community thanking the people of New Zealand for their love towards the community.
“I have been meeting victims, their families and leaders and members of the Muslim community who have asked me to give a special thanks to the New Zealand Police for their support, assistance and love towards the Muslim community,” Ms Ardern said.
Students from the Mt Roskill Grammar School and members of Air New Zealand performed Haka and song in remembrance of the victims of the Christchurch Mosque attack.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff and MP Michael Wood in their speech expressed their solidarity towards the Muslim community and thanked the community as a whole for standing by the Muslim community.
Located on Stoddard Road, Masjid Umar houses Muslim worshippers from India, Fiji, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Middle Eastern countries and even after almost two weeks of the attack, the mosque gate is still flooded with flowers, candles and messages of love and togetherness.
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