Mass shootings of Muslim worshippers in Christchurch
15.03.2019
The killing of at least 49 Muslims and injuring many in two mosques when people had assembled in Christchurch, New Zealand, to offer their Friday prayers is a deeply shocking event. This callous act on such a large scale by an extremist shows how easy it is for anyone to go on a rampage and target innocent people. The hatred and hostility towards religious and ethnic communities is widespread.
In 2011, a Norwegian far-right extremist, Anders B. Breivik, morbidly hostile to Muslims, had killed eight people in Oslo and caused extensive damage to the official buildings and shops by detonating a powerful van bomb. Then he went to an island outside Oslo where young people were taking part in a Workers Youth League meeting. He killed 69 young people there.
Today's mass killings in Christchurch is a natural result of the anti-Muslim hatred we see around the world. For instance, in India millions of Hindutva extremists regard Muslims as their enemies and their anti-Pakistan propaganda is endless. Can such attitudes and policies produce anything else except violence against Muslim communities? The answer is: No.
I condemn this abhorrent crime strongly. Let the people with goodwill stand against such despicable acts of violence and the polices that lead to such acts.
