Statement Concerning New Zealand Mosque Terror Attacks

The Canadian Muslim Alliance is deeply saddened and perturbed by the attack on our Muslims brothers and sisters in the Mosques of New Zealand.

We send our condolences to the families of the deceased. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this brutal and senseless terrorist attacks.

Acts of terror and indiscriminate bloodshed and killing like these have no place in any civilized society. This incident hits very close to home for us as we pray salat al Jumu’ah (the Friday prayer) on a weekly basis and we can easily visualise ourselves in the place of the victims of this senseless act of terrorism. We strongly condemn any such act whether it be against our Muslim brothers and sisters congregating for the Friday prayer or against our Christian & Jewish brothers and sisters coming together to show gratitude to their lord, or any group on any basis for that matter.

Although there is a sense of unease, we must remain optimistic and hopeful as Allah has ordained in the Holy Qur’an:

“Seek help through patience and prayer, and it is indeed exacting, except for those who are humble in their hearts; those who bear in mind that they are to meet their Lord, and that to Him they are to return.”

We must come back to the instructions of our Prophet Muhammad (SAW):

“The (likeness of a) Believer to another believer is like that of a building (one part of it) supports (and strengthens) the other”.

So let us stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters from New Zealand and support them and strengthen them through any means possible. Let us remain hopeful and optimistic as the intent of such terror attacks is only to incite fear and create panic within the community. Let us send out a clear message today that the Muslim community will continue living normally. We will not give in to acts of cowardice nor will we stop practicing our religion. We will live holding fast to our faith standing side by side with our Canadian neighbours and friends, side by side, hand in hand.

This inhumane act is clear display of the presence of Islamophobia, hatred and ignorance. The memory of the Quebec Mosque shooting is still fresh in the minds of many Canadian Muslims. The Canadian Muslim Alliance urges all Canadians, Muslims and otherwise, whether they prescribe to a faith group or not, to stand united against hatred and intolerance, and to stay vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour or activities to the police and law enforcement agencies.

We commend the various levels of government that have recognized that Islamophobia is a very real problem, and we urge them to start taking practical steps to prevent it. Islamophobia is a direct result of the anti-Muslim rhetoric conveyed in the media, through which individuals like these are radicalized. We appeal to the Canadian, Quebec and municipal governments to stand against this type of hate speech. Words matter.

We end by praying for all those affected by the horrific events. We pray for patience to the families and communities who are affected and for the elevation of status of those who died as martyrs. May Allah safeguard the Muslims and our caring neighbours and friends in New Zealand, in Canada and across the world.

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