In a day without precedent, people across New Zealand observed the Muslim call to prayer Friday as the nation reflected on the moment one week ago when 50 people were slaughtered at two mosques.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and thousands of others congregated in leafy Hagley Park opposite the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch to observe the call to prayer at 1:30 p.m.
“New Zealand mourns with you. We are one,” Ardern said.
Thousands more listened on the radio or watched on live television.
“According to the Muslim faith, the Prophet Mohammed, sallallahu alaihi wasallam (Peace be upon Him), said ‘the believers in mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When any part of the body suffers, the whole body feels pain.’ New Zealand mourns with you. We are one,” she said.
The prayer was followed by two minutes of silence.
“Brothers and sisters in humanity. Brothers and sisters in New Zealand. Last Friday I stood in this mosque and saw hatred and rage in the eyes of the terrorist who killed and martyred 50 innocent people, wounded 42 and broke the heart of millions around the world. Today from the same place I look out and I see the love and compassion in the eyes of thousands of fellow New Zealanders and human being from across the globe that feel the hearts of millions more who are not with us physically but in spirit,” said Imam Gamal Fouda, Al Noor Mosque.
On a light brown carpet, hundreds of Muslim men sat in socks or bare feet readying for the prayer.
The Al Noor mosque’s imam, Gamal Fouda, thanked New Zealanders for their support.
This terrorist sought 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 and that the world can see in us an example of love and unity. We are broken hearted, but we are not broken. We are alive, we are together, we are determined to not let anyone divide us,” the imam said.
The observance comes the day after the government announced a ban on “military-style” semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity magazines like the weapons that were used in last Friday’s attacks.
Forty-two people died at the Al Noor mosque and seven at the nearby Linwood mosque.
One person shot at one of the mosques died later at a hospital.
The Al Noor mosque’s imam said workers have been toiling feverishly to repair the destruction, some of whom offered their services for free.
Fouda expects the mosque to reopen by next week.
