Kiwis make a human chain as Muslims pray at Al Noor mosque
New Zealanders stand up in solidarity with the country’s Muslims
Dubai: Christchurch locals, earlier today, formed a human chain behind Muslim worshippers as they performed maghrib prayers in front of the Al Noor mosque in New Zealand.
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Journalist @JeromeTaylor took to Twitter on Wednesday to share heart-warming pictures and posted: “I’m not ashamed to admit I wept at this scene tonight — Christchurch locals forming a human chain behind Muslims as they perform maghrib prayers in front of the Al Noor mosque, where so many died. It was utterly beautiful.”
He later tweeted what one of the attendees, Omar, 32 from Sydney, felt. Omar told him: “My heart is racing, it’s something unbelievable, I can barely describe it... To see the community all so close together it’s amazing. Of course, it shouldn’t take a tragedy to unite people — but that is what has happened here.”
The pictures and Taylor’s tweets soon became popular as people praised how New Zealanders were standing up for everyone in the country.
Tweep @razvi_uzma posted: “If anyone thought it was just incidental that some countries were generally more peaceful than the others, the answer lies here - citizens standing up for fellow citizens.”
Some people attending the vigil also joined in to pay a tribute to the victims with a traditional haka, an ancient Maori war dance, which is a fierce display of a tribe’s pride, strength and unity.
@JeromeTaylor tweeted a video and wrote: “Those Maori cries of solidarity echoed across the park towards a mosque that should have been holding prayers, a mosque that shouldn’t have bullet holes in its walls, blood soaked into the carpets, worshipped who will never return there again.”
People in New Zealand are also planning to form a “human chain of love” on Friday, around all mosques in the country, to mark one week anniversary of the massacre.
According to Newshub, the campaign NZ Stand Together is being organised by Jude Fippard, who said, “It has the blessing and approval of the NZ Police and the [Auckland] Muslim Community Liaison Officer.” She appealed, “Let’s form a human chain of love and support around your local mosques on Friday at noon so they can pray in peace.”