In an outpouring of shared grief, tributes and flowers were left at the Tauranga Mosque after the Christchurch mosque shootings. Photo / File
Today marks one year since what's been called our "darkest of days" when a terrorist attack at two Christchurch mosques took the lives of 51 people and injured around 48 more.
New Zealand's worst-ever act of terror shook the country and thrust Muslims nationwide into the spotlight. Suddenly, people were asking them about their families, their beliefs, how they got here and why they stayed. We heard about the outpouring of support, about millions of dollars donated, countless meals shared and acts of reflection and solidarity from Kiwis everywhere.
One year after the March 15 mosque shootings, has the support remained? Dawn Picken speaks with Bay Muslims and political leaders about how the attacks have shaped their views, attitudes and actions.
Everyone should have the right to speak, to follow their own religions, own beliefs, and we should respect them, whoever it is
Sun streams through a ranch slider as Atikul Islam welcomes me into his Tauranga Avenues home. He, his wife and two daughters, ages 5 and 10, live within a row of concrete block flats facing a grassy courtyard.
"It's a good place for the kids to play," Islam says.
He has just picked up his wife, Nasrin, from work at Tauranga Hospital and aromas of spice waft from the kitchen as she prepares beef curry.
Sequined stuffed kitties adorn a bookshelf, and pastel flower drawings are tacked to the wall. I sit on a dark green leather couch, notebook in hand.
"What do you want to ask me? Go ahead," he says.
Islam recounts how last March 15, he went to the Tauranga mosque after someone told him about the Christchurch attacks. Instantly, he thought of his nephew, Sheikh Hassan, known as Rubel. He called, but someone else answered the phone to provide grim news.
"After listening to this message you can imagine what my situation was."
It was a day-and-a-half before Islam learned his nephew was in intensive care.
"After three days I got a message he was a little bit out of danger. He talked with me over the phone from the hospital and said, 'I'm good, how are you'?"
Two bullets entered Rubel's back and exited his stomach. Islam says his nephew moved to Christchurch from London because he didn't feel safe there, didn't feel he could practise his religion. Rubel earned a masters degree in professional accounting from Canterbury University, was working as an accountant and expecting his second child when he got shot.
"When I went to see him after the incident I had a discussion with him and his wife and they were getting almost every support from the community, from the Government, people around him ... he was pleased," says Islam.
Today, Islam says Rubel can only work two days each week, and both families have asked themselves whether they made the right decision when they migrated.
"Still we believe New Zealand is far better than other countries to live in. After [the terror attacks] we were scared, we were confused whether it was a safe place to live, or not. But when we saw a lot of support from the community ... we became relaxed."
Islam and his family moved to Tauranga from Bangladesh in 2015. He earned a masters at Waikato University in accounting and wants to complete his doctorate. He works at a multinational science and data analytics company.
Islam says he gave up a senior managerial position and large home in his native country to provide a better environment for his children in the Bay.
"That is why we are migrating, not only me, but people from other countries. We are migrating to sacrifice our life for generations to build up in a peaceful country."
In the hours and days following the terror attacks, people dropped off hundreds of flowers and messages at the Tauranga Mosque to show support and express condolences. Residents also expressed love for Christchurch - and grief for lives lost, bodies wounded and for the way a country's innocence was shattered.
Though clamour surrounding the attacks has faded over time, Islam says he has recently experienced anti-Muslim aggression.
"I was coming the other day from the mosque from having my prayer and someone in the street was shouting, like some abusing words."
Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell says while people are more aware and accepting of our Muslim community, you don't have to delve too deeply into social media to find exceptions to the rule. Powell says we must strive to be more inclusive.
Locally, he says, we benefit by embracing the "richness and vitality" cultural diversity adds to our communities.
"The Pride Picnic last weekend was testimony to how far we have come in 12 months in hosting a big festival in support of diversity and tolerance."
Atikul Islam says for him the March 15 anniversary is a time to remember not just the Christchurch incident, but to broaden the focus to Kiwis nationwide.
"We pray for the whole community, not just our community, for the peacefulness of the country, for every different religion ... whoever, coming from a different part of the world."
It's really important to understand integration doesn't mean you have to give up your beliefs or values. It's just respecting each other and trying to understand why people do what they do.
An overwhelming sense of appreciation following Kiwis' many kindnesses after Christchurch led Tauranga's Saima Anis to write an open letter of thanks to the Bay last March. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=12213880
In the letter, she tells of her experience at the Mount Maunganui vigil.
"It was one of the most beautiful evenings of my life.
''People from all walks of life had come to attend this and were offering condolences through songs, flowers and candles and heartfelt speeches.
''I, who have been fiercely proud of being a Muslim of Pakistani origin, who am extremely vocal about my roots and the pride that I have in being different, who has lived through countless acts of terrorism, felt scared of even saying thank you.
''I pulled myself together and looked around me at the love and compassion that was being so generously given and felt ashamed of myself for that very human moment of being afraid.
''I will repeat what I said there that we may follow different beliefs and look different but at the end of the day – we are all humans."
This past week, Anis has said support and work towards inclusion from the local community has remained strong since last March.
"There's a lot of talk, diversity workshops, workplaces talk a lot more about diversity than I've seen before. There are initiatives by council and the Multicultural Society and Rotary Club ... lots going on and it's not something people have parked because there was a sudden event and reaction to it. There was a lot of reflection and people wanting to go to work around this."
Anis believes New Zealand, generally sheltered from the rest of the world, is a change leader in dealing with crisis.
"I do think there are undercurrents in every society. We need to pay attention to that and think about how we move forward."
During a recent trip to Pakistan, she said people told her leadership in her adopted land had been "amazing".
"It's a responsibility we want to uphold and see how small change in people's attitudes can change outcomes. It could've become a tit-for-tat as in the rest of the world, but because people came together, this took a different turn."
National Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller agrees the attack made us reflect on the kind of society we are.
"For many it was their introduction to the Muslim community in our city. The way the local Muslim community opened their doors so people could stand in their sacred places and share their grief, was one of the most poignant and generous actions I have seen."
Whatever we can do as a Muslim society, we don't need to be afraid.
A leader in the Tauranga Indonesian community, Lisda Anggraeni, says most of her members are Muslim, and they're not afraid to come to the mosque.
After the attacks, she says fellow Muslims were scared because people have historically conflated Islam with terrorism.
"Muslim terrorism is not about the religion, it's about the individual."
Today, Anggraeni is grateful the mosque is more open and she can share with others who she is.
"There's more freedom. You don't need to hide your identity, your religion. Before, it was better not to say, 'I'm a Muslim', but now I feel free."
Anggraeni feels there's more understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims locally.
"That's the good part. We are part of them, as well."
She says a remembrance service organised by Shakti Women's Refuge for Sunday has been postponed due to coronavirus concerns.
I can say that most of the Kiwis, they know Muslim and Islam more than they did last year.
Iftikhar Khan is the leader, or imam, at Rotorua's mosque, which meets in an old house near the central city. Khan says Christchurch spurred public curiosity about Islam.
"This incident make us a little prominent ... and we becoming like an interesting community. People start visiting the mosque to know more about what is Islam, how we pray, what we wear."
Khan says previously, people's perception of his faith came from images of the Middle East, where many women are fully veiled.
"It gives us an opportunity for us to let them know more about what is real."
He says while Islam is perceived as a strict religion, it's not; what's key, he says, is respect for others.
The attacks, and the ambassadorship of former All Black Sonny Bill Williams, says Khan, may have inspired young local Māori boys to consider becoming Muslim.
"I met him a couple weeks ago. I was flying to Houston and he was on the same flight ... Sonny Bill has been a great ambassador. After the incident, he was in Christchurch."
Khan has been heartened by invitations in the past year to speak to nursing and social science students at Toi Ohomai about the Muslim faith.
The way ahead
The community, including local Muslims and politicians, is forging a path towards understanding people from diverse backgrounds. Tauranga Labour MP Jan Tinetti says ethnic communities must have an active voice in policy-making to ensure their perceptions are included.
"At a local level, our Welcoming Communities initiative needs to continue to ensure our ethnic communities truly feel they are active and vibrant Bay of Plenty community members. Our local celebrations of important cultural festivals are continuing to expand and we need to encourage all members of our community to attend and participate.
"We need to really get to know our neighbours and support them in maintaining their identity as they integrate into our community."
Omar Al Omari says his message is about multicultural reflection, about closing one painful chapter and opening another - of hope and belonging.
"I want to change the concept. Instead of to remember what happened, I want March 15 to be love of New Zealand.
"Last year we were under the sorrow and sadness - we lost some of our beloved friends and family. This year we show we go on, we don't stop, we go with the communities, with all the ethnicities. This is the beauty of New Zealand. We want in return to say thank you to everybody, to all. We want March 15 to be different, to be a day of unity and a day that reflects love to New Zealand."
Gun buyback gets mixed reviews
New Zealand's amnesty and gun buyback scheme ended December 20.
The programme was launched when authorities banned semi-automatic weapons in response to the killing of 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019.
The scheme was put in place after gun law reforms (supported by all parties except ACT) banned most military-style semi-automatic (MSSA) firearms, weeks after the shootings.
Starting last April, firearms owners were compensated up to 95 per cent of a weapon's purchase price in exchange for handing it in.
NZ Police say in one report more than 56,000 weapons and another 190,000 parts were surrendered and handed in to authorities in New Zealand during the six-month amnesty.
Police hail it as a success, though others say most of the guns turned in were not MSSA firearms, but regular rifles and shotguns. Critics say police only managed to collect about a third of the weapons that were outlawed after the Christchurch massacre.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is pushing a new set of gun reforms through Parliament which includes creation of a registry to monitor every firearm legally held in New Zealand.
Bay of Plenty National MP Todd Muller says the gun buyback highlights clashing world views.
"By far most of our community have no exposure to firearms so seem perplexed around the reaction to constraining access to them. But there are many local firearm owners who felt deeply persecuted both with the original gun law changes and the even more constraining second tranche which is in front of Parliament as we speak."
Muller says National supported the first wave of changes focused on the military-style semi-automatics and opposes the second tranche.
"Where is the balance here when everyone knows the criminal element in our community completely ignore any new changes?"
Tauranga Labour MP Jan Tinetti says the objective of the buyback and amnesty was to protect the community, and that a poll late last year found 70 per cent of people wanted tighter gun laws.
"I thank those 33,000 law-abiding firearms owners who did the right thing, and helped make New Zealand a safer place by participating in the buyback."
Tinetti says more than 60,000 prohibited firearms were removed from circulation and more than 194,000 prohibited parts have been handed in. Compensation of more than $100 million has been paid.
"Since March last year police have also seized over 2200 illegal firearms from gangs and other offenders. It is up to us as Government to listen to the voices of our communities, and to balance the lawful use of firearms against the harm they do in the wrong hands."
Memorial Services Controversial
A national remembrance service to mark the first anniversary of the Christchurch mosque attacks is planned in Christchurch today.
The memorial will honour the 51 people killed during the shootings at Masjid An-Nur (also known as Al Noor) and Linwood mosques on March 15, 2019.
Some members of the Muslim community in Christchurch last week expressed displeasure about a memorial, saying the service contradicted Islamic culture, which doesn't typically mark anniversaries.
But Al Noor Masjid imam Gamal Fouda this week said the events of March 15 deserved to be treated as an exception to normal Islamic rules.
The event is an opportunity for New Zealanders to stand together against hate and hate speech, Fouda says.
Ayhan Semiz, of the Rotorua Muslim Association, says Kiwis today have more understanding of other cultures and other religions.
"It made us as one.
"To me, that incident on the 15th of March has brought people closer, the public, non- Muslim, Hindu, Māori, white people ... has united people together."
Semiz says
Tauranga's Multicultural Festival
This year's Tauranga Multicultural Festival happens next Sunday, March 22, in the Historic Village. The 2019 event was postponed following the Christchurch attacks. Now in its 21st year, the festival celebrates diversity and inclusion by showcasing talents of residents who've settled in the Bay from other countries and cultures.
Audrey Wilson had repeated falls, a fractured arm and sepsis. She died in hospital.