PESHAWAR: Special prayers were offered and a vigil was held at All Saints’ Church in Kohati here for the victims of the attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand last Friday.

“Christian worshippers of All Saints’ Church in Kohati, Peshawar City and families of the victims of two mosques of Christchurch have something in common -- the pain and loss of their loved ones in a terrorist attack at a place of worship and peace,” the religious leader leading the prayers said.

They said that they felt and understood their pain and loss. “We have also been through it. We are one in pain. Our religions are different but our pain and loss are the same because we are human beings,” said Reverend Shahazad Murad, who led the special prayers for the victims of the attack in Christchurch.

Prayers offered, vigil held for victims of Christchurch carnage

A vigil was also held at All Saints’ Church on Wednesday evening for the victims of the attack in New Zealand that claimed 50 lives. Many worshippers present at the vigil recalled their own loss of the loved ones when All Saints’ Church was attacked on September 22, 2013 and some 98 worshippers busy in Sunday services were killed and around 150 injured.

“We pray for justice for those innocents, who were killed in such attacks,” said reverend Murad, hoping the vigil would send out a message to the families of the victims of the Christchurch that they were not alone in that hard time.

Dilawar Samar, a teacher, who lost his six-year-old daughter Maira, was there to pray for the victims of the mosque attack in Christchurch.

“When I heard about the attack, I was reminded of how we picked up our loved ones, who got killed and injured in the All Saints’ Church. I was teary-eyed and I am sad to see such attacks,” he said.

Robina Massey, a social worker, said that killing of one human being was murder of the entire humanity. She said that in 2013, terrorism hurt so many families there as they lost their family members and they gathered there again to pray for those, who lost their loved ones in a mosque in a terrorist attack. “We must send out a message that despite such attacks, we are all together in this pain and sorrow and want peace,” she said.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2019