“The terrorist attack in Christchurch was an attack on our values.”
“The terrorist attack in Christchurch was an attack on our values.”
On April 3rd, prominent members across the UK government, religious circles, and numerous organizations gathered at Westminster to pay homage and respect to those lost in the senseless terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand that killed 50 innocent Muslim worshippers.
Chaired by Runnymede Trust’s Zubaida Haque, the event saw numerous high profile MPs attend the event, including Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, James Brokenshire, the Conservative Communities Secretary, and Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott and Baroness Shami Chakrabarti.
Notable speeches were given by Harun Khan of the Muslim Council of Britain, Habibur Rahman of the East London Mosque, and Iftikhar Iwan and Jehangir Malik of Muslim Aid. The keynote address was given by New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the UK, Sir Jeremy Mateparae, who stated:
Our Muslim communities are our family, our friends, our colleagues. They are us. The terrorist attack in Christchurch was an attack on our values. An attack on one of our communities is an attack on us all.”
Prominent religious leaders who attended the ceremony included Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, the senior rabbi to Reform Judaism, and Imam Mohamed Mahmoud, who has been previously recognized for his heroism during the Finsbury Mosque attack in which he protected the attacker against potential retaliation.
Many politicians at the ceremony vowed to further combat Islamophobia in politics, the media, and public life after such a horrific terrorist attack like the one in Christchurch, and emphasized the need for more unity at Westminster itself.
The attendees of the ceremony signed a condolence book which was delivered to the New Zealand High Commissioner in memory of those lost.
