An imam who survived the terror attack at Al Noor mosque has declared New Zealand “unbreakable” in a sermon attended by thousands in Christchurch on Friday and called on world leaders eliminate hate speech, saying the massacre “did not come overnight”.
Speaking from a temporary stage set up in Hagley Park opposite the mosque, which is still surrounded by police tape a week after the attack, Imam Gamil Fouda said that in attempting to spread hate, the gunman who killed 50 people and injured 42 had instead sparked love and compassion.
“Last Friday I stood in this mosque and saw hatred and rage in the eyes of the terrorist,” he said. “Today from the same place I look out and I see the love and compassion in the eyes of thousands of New Zealanders and human beings from around the globe.”
Survivors who were injured in the shooting sat in wheelchairs of the front row of the makeshift venue, while at the back, thousands of non-Muslim New Zealanders, including Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gathered wearing hijabs to show their respects. Later, Ardern addressed the crowd, saying: “New Zealand mourns with you, we are one.”
Fouda said: “This terrorist tried to tear our nation apart with an evil ideology that has torn the world apart but instead we have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable.”