Al Muntada Al-Islami Trust condemns in the strongest expression the terrorist and the barbaric attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand today. This is a brutal act against the Muslim community and the people of New Zealand.

There is no phrase that can describe this coward, radical and brutal attack on civilian worshipers in broad daylight. These attacks are not an act of individuals; they are the results of the irresponsible promotion of Islamophobia by many writers, politicians and media outlets. The promotion of hatred towards Muslims must end. Those extremist and radical people must be taken to account and the root of this extremist ideology must be eliminated.

Our hearts are with the dead who fell in this attack and we ask Allah to make them martyrs who said about such people in the chapter 3 verse 169: “and never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision”.

We ask the Almighty to grant a speedy recovery to all those who were injured in the attack. We pray that he gives patience to the bereaved families in this calamity and during this extremely difficult time.

We ask our community members to stay vigilant and to report any suspicious behavior to the Police. If the aim of these barbaric attacks is to break our connections with our Masjids, we should do the opposite and strengthen our relationship with them. We urge our community members to read the “the Incident Management Guide for Faith Communities” article, which gives detailed guidelines in how to deal with any suspicious behavior.

We pray for the martyred, the wounded and their families and we ask the Almighty to protect our Muslim communities in the UK and worldwide from any harm.

Al-Muntada Al-Islami Trust

www.almuntadatrust.org | E-mail: director@almuntadatrust.org | Charity: 293355