In times of atrocity, humanity weeps together. Today is one of those days. New Zealand’s darkest hour has become humanity’s worst moment. Today, a father is not coming back home. A mother won’t see her son again. A student will never obtain their college diploma. Families are forever broken. This is a demonic act, but nowadays, one that is sadly far too common in the western world. Holy places are no longer sanctuaries, but death beds for those seeking to worship in peace. I am sure that this killer was driven by a range of reasons, but one of them is certainly the Muslim narrative that has been promulgated by some leaders in the western world in the past few years. Thus, the time to speak was yesterday. As citizens of these nations, your silence, shortsightedness and indifference made you a complice. Now, it is time to bear witness and to reckon with our choices. It is truly unfortunate that it takes moments of persecution for most people to realize that these minority groups seen as invaders are us and we are them.
Whenever there is an atrocity of this kind, all the barriers that seem to bind and blind humanity disappear. Unfortunately, this moment of sorrow and connectedness is not a reflection of the reality. We live in a divided world; where the life of minority groups is far too often defined by injustice, hatred and inequity. I am certain that the Muslim community in New Zealand won’t be defined by this act. Like most minority groups or invaders, these atrocities are the reasons why the individuals that make up the group chose to become agent of change, mercy and goodness. Their individual’s actions in times of persecution shift the public discourse and their sacrifices re-shape the character of their society; thus showing everyone better way forward.
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