More than 1000 people attended a vigil in Whangārei last Sunday in honour of those who died in the horrific shootings at two Christchurch mosques last Friday. Photo/Wendy Giffin
More than 1000 people attended a vigil in Whangārei last Sunday in honour of those who died in the horrific shootings at two Christchurch mosques last Friday. Photo/Wendy Giffin
OPINION
In the aftermath of what happened in Christchurch, my hope and concern is that there isn't yet another casualty beyond the tragic and profound sense of loss being experienced primarily by the Islamic community, but also by what we are experiencing as a country.
Our hearts go out not only to those directly affected, the Islamic community, the first responders and the city of Christchurch already buffeted by the earthquake, but also we are profoundly saddened at our loss of innocence - or should I say naivete?
Our sense of peace has been shattered by the intrusion of this unspeakable evil.
The rawness of recent events makes my fear all the more palpable as it may well be that this casualty goes unheeded while we gear ourselves up to meet the foe appearing in our midst which hitherto had only been an "other world" problem.
By asking the right questions we can make a good start to putting the importance of this potential casualty in perspective.
As I listen to the stories of the survivors it is easy to perceive the attraction NZ has for these people. Why do people of other worldviews and nationalities desire to come here?
They come because of the perception that New Zealand is a nation of relative peace, of prosperity, of equality under the law, of security, of opportunity - of (above all) freedom.
A mass student vigil at Hagley Park near the Al Noor Mosque on Deans Ave, Christchurch earlier this week. Photo/NZME
The simple freedom to gather in public, freedom of association, freedom to worship (or not) according to our conscience, freedom from fear, from intimidation, freedom to speak our mind, among many others. People also come because of the stark reminders, often daily, of the conditions under which they have lived for too long.
But that freedom comes at a cost. It has been said the first casualty of war is truth. That being so, perhaps the second casualty is freedom.
Already the knives are out calling for curbing those freedoms that make us who we are, and by reason of which others come to our shores. While some "freedoms" are actually licentiousness in disguise (I agree with many - that owning semi-automatic weapons is one of them) weakening freedom of speech is potentially catastrophic.
The cost of freedom is vulnerability
Vulnerability in that we believe, at first blush, an Australian wishes to live here because he appreciates the Kiwi way, not to foist on us his views of racial superiority, buy semi-automatic weapons and wreak havoc on Muslims in a country that has abandoned the idea of capital punishment for capital crimes.
Vulnerability in that we accept, at face value, that Muslims who come here are of the peace-loving, family-oriented people that characterise the majority, whose interpretation of Islam is peace and not Jihad. Who defer to peace rather than dividing the world into the realms of dar al-islam and dar al-harb.
While it's never too late to shake off naivete, vigilance and vulnerability go hand in hand in the preservation of that most cherished of qualities - freedom.
Though no friend of socialism, I was heartened to hear Andrew Little's response to reporter Corin Dan's probing questions regarding the culpability (or not), of our security arrangements - "We are not a surveillance state."
He recognised the very qualities that make NZ attractive are those same ones that make us vulnerable. Ask the question - How many people have a strong desire to go and make a life for themselves in North Korea, or any other totalitarian state, and I think you'll get my drift.
Our greatest asset, business owners will tell you, is our people. Well it is the same writ large, in our country, our greatest asset is our people.
Specifically, our greatest asset is our people who share common values, who share a similar worldview. That is what attracts people to NZ. Our common worldview whereby everyone is accepted until they demonstrate reason to be treated otherwise.
We are treated as equals unless we demonstrate actions that betray evil motives. We give the benefit of the doubt.
The cost of this freedom to be who we are is the measure of resolve we demonstrate in our unwillingness to kowtow to extremism in any form. Either yielding to the extremes of voices within our own people curbing our right to respectfully disagree, or our refusal to bow to the pressure of terrorist violence in any of its ugly forms.
Our determination not to go to extremes to isolate ourselves from exposure to people with different worldviews, even while we may attempt and foster polite and respectful dialogue in our disagreement with those views.
It involves taking a sober account and assessment of free speech, finding the delicate and risky balance of allowing public dissent without allowing incitement to violence. Even, dare I say, the risk of refusing to deplatform people because they don't agree with us, or see reality the way we do.
It is the willingness to continue to cherish those freedoms and values which made NZ the wonderful place it is, the very reason we are able to afford the welcome of diversity to our shores.
