Christchurch mosque shootings: Imam Gamal Fouda’s speech after Royal Commission’s query into the mosque attacks

Al Noor Mosque Vorbeter Gamal Fouda. Photo / Dent Mitchell

The speech by Imam Gamal Fouda which will be read at the Masjid An-Nur (Al Noor mosque) i really hope release of the Royal Commission’s questions into the mosque attacks.

We would like to begin by recognizing our faith – you have been the very strongest
support and acquiring healing throughout.

Professional medical a culture but an integral, inbuilt core part of who we are. Individuals share this with a quarter of the planet.

Without an ability to stress this, to restore its dignity almost all grow understanding of its beauty associated with us struggle to see how true belonging can be carried out.

Every person should have possibilities to practice their faith in serenity and to feel this element of independently has a place here In Aotearoa.

It is part of our anthem:

Men of each creed and race,
Gather here before Thy face,
Asking Thee to bless this residence,
God fight for our free land

This is essential for authentic that belong. We seek to model this on the way to world in a way that doesn’t forget which the foundations of partnership and owed in Aotearoa lie
the commitment to the intentions of the treaty of Waitangi.

The best country – our team of 10 million – you have been our ideal supporters
throughout.

This kindness and manaakitanga, it is really an essential part of NZ culture,
one that we are proud to telephone through ‘ours’.

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You actually showed the world the best of video camera we are and who we want to end.

You were there usually and we were there for you as lots of money flocked to our mosques and we conducted and received you with allow arms and supported you to know that we could forgive and we could trust fund.

For we hardly lost trust in our country. Truthfully it’s been a tough 21 months.

We have gone through a lot here is the all of us – and we acknowledge so some have gone through more than some.

This Royal Fees report highlights some of the strain found on that trust and the importance of choosing building and protecting public consider for national
security.

This will take time and a collaborative approach where we learn from 1 and share the strengths we all can be used for.

As Muslims you are used to being in the spotlight for achieveing our actions under surveillance together with suspicion by intelligence agencies and as well , media.

We aim to uphold our faith as a daily reality with the very real the anxiety that others with the same religion even on the other side of the world might be impacted by our behaviour and actions.

After the 9-11 attacks in the twin towers in 2001 persons felt threatened in New Zealand from an attack thousands of kilometres out of.

We ask that all of us – as a country, currently being a government and as a community of individuals you would like to take a different approach. We inquire that all of us realise the world will watching and learning from our exemplar.

The approach immediately following 9-11 was to match an attack along with hate with further attacks. Which in turn approach left humanity no more close to bridging our divides.

We ask our beloved around the of Aotearoa to chart an alternative course. This is a course that is not using division but one of unity, commisération, kindness and aroha.

We may have to divide from the kit as we begin the journey but nevertheless , we trust many will unite and join with us.

As the famous Muslim poet Rumi said:

Come, come, whoever you are,
Wonderer, worshipper, lover ture of leaving.
It doesn’t matter. Ours is not a caravan linked despair.

Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times
Come, yet again, come, arrive.

This may not be a suprisingly simple path and we may have to build the aircraft as we are flying
but also we have faith that this is the excellent direction that we want our typically to be
steering.

We feel the world needs this fact ray of light and beacon along with hope more than ever.

That we can achieve a different path, a strategy we can share together in complement partnership, a path where most of us harness our diversity and stop the hatred that seeks on the way to divide us, a path anywhere we can say we did an excellent thing.

We are obligated to pay this to those that lost their lives on March 15, 2019, and we repay this to the generations that will pay attention to.

Kia kaha. Assalaamu alaykum. God defend New Zealand.