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Muslims React to New Zealand Mosque Attacks

by Marissa Melton

   VOA's Turkish, Urdu and Kurdish services contributed to this report.

   The anti-Muslim attacks in the tiny island nation of New Zealand caught
   the local population by surprise.

   "This is something that is completely out of the blue," said Chelsea
   Daniels of Newstalk BZ, a radio station based in Auckland.

   "We hear of these kinds of extremists over the ditch in Australia,
   popping up now and again. But we've experienced really nothing like
   this here in New Zealand, which is why people are so shocked," she told
   VOA in a phone interview.

   She said overseas events may have sparked the desire of the suspect --
   identified in news reports as Brenton Tarrant from Grafton, New South
   Wales, Australia -- to mount this attack, "but he has acted alone in
   planning this."

   Christchurch, where the attacks occurred, has a small Muslim community
   of about 1,000 people. Overall, Muslims make up roughly 1 percent of
   New Zealand's population of 5 million.

   "I was at work when I learned about the shootings," said Mohammed
   Basharati, a Kurdish Muslim from Iran who lives in Christchurch. "I
   immediately thought it was an act of Islamic extremists, because you
   would never expect these types of hate crimes to happen in New
   Zealand."

   Barashati added that since moving to New Zealand nearly two decades
   ago, he has not "experienced any kind of discrimination" because of his
   religion.

   "We condemn violence and hatred of any sort and join the rest of New
   Zealand in deep sorrow for those affected by these awful events," New
   Zealand's Human Rights Commission said in a statement following the
   attacks.

   "We stand beside Christchurch and Muslim New Zealanders in peace,
   solidarity and humanity," the statement added.

   "There is no place for hate in New Zealand. We urge Kiwis to stand
   together in unity," the commission said, adding that "New Zealand is
   one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world and we
   welcome those of all religions and backgrounds."

   Ramazan Boztash, whose 20-year-old son Mustafa was at Al Noor Mosque,
   spoke to VOA by phone while his son was awaiting surgery for a bullet
   that penetrated his right hamstring and spleen. Mustafa's condition was
   not critical, so doctors were caring for more seriously wounded people
   first.

   "New Zealand is a secure country," Boztash said. "We have never seen
   such an incident taking place here before."

   Boztash, who is Turkish, said an attacker like the shooter on Friday is
   rare in his adopted country. "Occasionally you see bad souls with
   racist intent here and there," he conceded. But he said he believes the
   number is small.

   "I have been here for 19 years," he said. "A few people are trying to
   stain this country."

   Helping the families

   Kalimullah, who uses only one name, is president of the Pakistan
   Association of Canterbury, New Zealand. He said members of the local
   Pakistani community are mobilizing to track down friends and family
   following the attacks.

   "There are no official details issued from authorities. There are a few
   people missing so people are coming to hospitals to seek information
   regarding their friends and family," he said.

   But Kalimullah added that members of the community will not be rattled
   by the mosque attacks.

   "They say they are determined," he said, "and incidents like this
   cannot halt our daily life."