THE terrorist at Christchurch not only recorded the extremely disturbing video but also shared live-streaming on social media. The suspect involved in mass shooting introduced himself as far-right Australian citizen having anti-immigrant ideology.

Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern acknowledged his act as an act of hate and terror.

On the other hand, the attacker is Islamophobic and has xenophobic mindset who labelled immigrants as ‘invaders’. A terrorist has no religion.

He can be a bearded Muslim, ca be clean-shaven Christian or a pious-looking Jew. The terrorist hides under religious cover but certainly doesn’t follow any religion.

If the West continues to ignore the popularity of far-right supremacist groups and individuals, such tragedies will continue to happening at religious places.

We should not let few xenophobic bigots destroy the goodness of the entire world.

Lalarukh

Karachi

(2)

THE brutal terror attack by an Australian makes one think whether this monster was even human. Why is it that more often than not it is mostly Muslims who are the victims of terrorism?

According to human rights reports, in 2018, 400 Muslims were martyred in Indian occupied Kashmir while more than 8,000 Rohingya Muslims including 730 children were shot and burned to death in one month in 2017. These facts reveal that security needs to be strengthened for Muslims all over the world because no Muslim is safe anywhere in the world.

The New Zealand authorities must explain how an Australian extremist lived under their shadow and planned the mayhem that he carried out in two mosques on Friday afternoon.

Abdul Hadi Paracha

Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

(2)

WHENEVER I have read about New Zealand in the newspapers it has usually been about the Maori tribesmen or cricket or Lord of the Rings.

It came as such a shock to hear about the shooting in Christchurch which left more than 50 people dead. I must say I was impressed by Prime Minister Jacinda Arden, who condemned white supremacist ideology for the attack.

She said: “New Zealand was targeted because it represents the values of diversity, kindness and compassion. We are a home for those who share our values and a refuge for those who need it. And those values I can assure you will not and cannot be shaken by this attack.”

I hope Pakistan can learn from this incident.

Sobia Butt

Karachi

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2019