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A devotee at the Al Noor Mosque is glad that a message designed to incite hatred towards Muslims is being taken seriously.
The message was scribbled in chalk on the footpath in front of the Al Noor Mosque (Masjid An-Nur) in Christchurch on Saturday and read: “Islam is right about women.”
The cryptic message was left while the faithful were inside praying and was being investigated by the police.
It came just days after the royal commission reported its findings on the attacks on the mosque, including a recommendation for tougher penalties for hate speech.
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Canterbury District Commander John Price said he was taking himself very seriously.
“Any message that is a background that is not suitable for us in New Zealand is concerning no matter what time it occurs. We therefore take these matters seriously, whether it is endorsed by the Royal Commission of Inquiry or not. “
John Kirk-Anderson / Stuff
A disturbing message was chalked outside Masjid An-Nur on Deans Ave, Christchurch, on Saturday.
In response, police officers would be stationed inside and outside of Al Noor.
“We have a presence in and around the mosque, and we will continue to do so to provide peace of mind. Visible policing enables the trust and confidence of our community. “
Al Noor worshiper Mirwais Waziri, who was injured in the attacks, said there has sadly been an increase in hate speech directed at Muslims in Christchurch since March 15.
“Whenever my wife goes somewhere in the markets, some of these racist people just use some words and she ignores them. I hope people understand that we are New Zealanders. We live in New Zealand, we live in peace and we have a beautiful religion. “
He said that on March 15 he had shown us that such abuse should be documented and taken seriously.
“It is not a joke. It is a serious matter, the discrimination of a person and a religious person. We live in a free world and especially in democracy.
“New Zealand has different rights. Everyone lives in this country and everyone’s rights must be protected ”.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON / Stuff
Mirwais Waziri, who was injured in the March 15 terror attack, says there have been more hate speech directly towards Muslims since the shootings.
An expert on far-right groups, Professor Paul Spoonley, said that the same statement left out of Al Noor, had appeared in various forms around the world and was designed by these groups to stoke hatred of Islam.
“At the international level it seems to be a way of trolling, what the right calls the left awake. And so it is designed to draw attention to the way Islam is supposed to repress women, but in a sense, they turn it around. Therefore, it seems to support the way Islam treats women. But of course the intention is the opposite. “
However, Spoonley would not classify the words as hate speech.
“It is designed to avoid being defined as hate speech. And so it seems to be in support of Islam and it is not critical or not inflammatory or racist, but in fact, it is. “
Spoonley said far-right groups now spread across the world as online communities.
They were difficult to track down, as those involved mostly remained anonymous.
