[ad_1]
New Zealand still has a lot of work to do to combat prejudice after the March 15 terror attack, Canterbury Muslim leaders say.
The leaders gathered at Masjid An-Nur on Christchurch’s Deans Ave on Tuesday, where 44 of the 51 victims of the 2019 terror attack were killed.
While spokesmen expressed gratitude for the findings of the royal commission of inquiry and agreed with the 44 recommendations it made, there were concerns that they did not go far enough.
Linwood Islamic Center Secretary General Faisal Sayed said publishing the findings Tuesday had been extremely difficult.
READ MORE:
* The findings of the Royal Commission confirm the anti-Muslim bias on the part of the intelligence services, say the leaders of the mosque.
* Despite signs, Christchurch terrorist could only have been detained ‘by chance’: investigation
* The royal commission recommends a new security agency for New Zealand following the March 15 shootings.
“It is clear that we, as a country, still have a lot of work to do.”
Stacy Squires / Stuff
Linwood Islamic Center Imam Abdul Alabi Lateef, left, Canterbury Muslim Association spokesman Abdigani Ali and Masjid An-Nur Imam Gamal Fouda discuss the Royal Commission of Inquiry report on the Christchurch terror attacks.
He expressed concern that the community did not have enough time to thoroughly review the report, as it was received only on Saturday.
Canterbury Muslim Association spokesman Abdigani Ali said the terms of reference for the investigation imposed some limitations.
Issues such as compensation and capacity for support services that were still needed were not mentioned in the report, he said.
Some issues that were addressed in the recommendations were not covered in sufficient detail, including one stating that people would be safe to report potentially harmful behaviors if they knew what to look for.
KITCHEN / ROBERT THINGS
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern provides a summary of the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the terrorist attack on the Christchurch mosques.
“This does not go into enough detail about the role that education should play… to ensure that religious diversity is well understood.
“We have 800 pages of words here, and they need to translate into action. It is a matter of national security, ”he said.
Muslim academic Anthony Green said the report would take the small community “months to digest.”
“But our call to all is that New Zealanders care about fighting prejudice.”
He said that nobody had talked about revenge, because they did not want any other community to go through what they had.
“We must understand the causes … Hate is a dividing line in society, and ignoring it leaves us exposed to harm.
Stacy Squires / Stuff
Representatives from the two Christchurch mosques at a joint press conference after the royal commission investigating the March 15 terror attack published its findings.
“At Canterbury we understand the failures and the damage they can cause.”
Green said that while out of the gunman’s Supreme Court sentencing in August, he had come across a man who lived next door to Masjid An-Nur and who had helped lead people to safety on their fence.
“I asked him why he was there and he said he wanted justice to be done.
“He saw a young woman run over at the end of his driveway and couldn’t do anything. Said he still falls apart from time to time.
“The waves of pain go out.”
Masjid An-Nur imam Gamal Fouda called for a future of unity, compassion and aroha as New Zealanders began to digest what went wrong in the run-up to the March 15 attacks.
“Everyone should be able to practice their faith in peace.”
CHRIS SKELTON / Things
Gamal Fouda outside the Christchurch courthouse after the gunman who shot and killed 51 people in two mosques in Christchurch on March 15 last year was imprisoned for the rest of his natural life.
New Zealand’s “team of 5 million” has been the Muslim community’s biggest supporter for the past 21 months, he said.
“You showed the world the best of who we are and who we can be.”
It would take time and a collaborative approach to make sure the royal commission’s report actually made things better, Fouda said.
“The focus after 9/11 was to match a hate attack with more attacks, which did not bring humanity any closer to bridging the divisions.
“We ask our beloved country of Aotearoa to chart a different course.”
Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images
Members of the Tu Tangata Iwi Tapu Motorcycle Club visit the Masjid An-Nur mosque in support of the Christchurch Muslim community one year after the 2019 terrorist attack.
He only realized that the police had issued an apology to the community during the press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
“We are looking for change, not someone to blame.”
Rashid Omar, who lost his son in the March 15 attack, welcomed the report but called for greater accountability for the shortcomings.
“Although the report brought back difficult memories, it answers some of those questions, but not all,” he told a meeting of survivors and families in Bishopdale.
“The affected families, survivors and witnesses have not received an answer to their questions, in particular the question of accountability.”
He expressed concern about the names drafted in the final report.
Chris Skelton / Stuff
Temel Atacocugu was seriously injured in the March 15, 2019 terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch.
Temel Atacocugu, who was shot nine times at Masjid An-Nur, said the police must be held accountable.
“They should have stopped him on the way to the Linwood Mosque and saved many lives,” he said.
“I want the police department, the intelligence agencies, the justice ministers, the government and the prime minister to be held accountable.
“We have long awaited this report as a community.”
He was angry that the police were not informed when the attacker accidentally shot himself and needed hospital treatment months before March 15.
CHRIS SKELTON / THINGS
Temel Atacocugu talks about confronting in court the man who shot him in a Christchurch mosque during the March 15, 2019 terrorist attack (Video first published on August 26, 2020)
“I wish it was reported and investigated at that time. That would have stopped him. “
March 15 survivor Wasseim Alsati said there were many warning signs ahead of the attacks.
“It took them a long time to understand and block the [Linwood] mosque.
“If they had enough education, there would have been fewer deaths.”
