Editor’s note: As of March 26, the confirmed death toll of the Christchurch shootings stands at 50 people. This article originally said 51 people and has since been corrected from the print version. The Charlatan regrets the error.
Fifty lives. Among the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, wives and husbands who were killed on March 15 at the two mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand was Mucad Ibrahim (may God have mercy on his soul). The youngest victim, he was a three-year-old boy who accompanied his father to the mosque for Friday prayer.
It personally took me a full day, but when I processed what happened, I wept. I could not stop myself from thinking about the grief that not only the families of the victims are living, but the fear and mourning weighing down on the international Muslim community. The loss of a child is a phenomenon I’m familiar with, and I pray that Ibrahim’s family is showered with holy patience and healing.
Initially, many of us were saddened, but not shocked. We faced a similar reality just over two years ago in Quebec. So, New Zealand wasn’t far-fetched. This was an ember which landed on the very prayer rugs people were worshipping peacefully on, throwing them into the flames of a terrorist attack perpetrated by a white supremacist.
Although we were not surprised, we finally realized that there is a shared responsibility for this event and the media must carry its rightful weight.
The reason given to justify Islamophobia—that Islam is inherently evil—is not true. One too many times, the ignorance and miseducation in regards to Muslims is not only reinforced and fostered, but abused and twisted to the advantage of media organizations.
All the headlines and microaggressions, the dehumanization of Muslims, and even the portrayal of some of us as the “peaceful kind”—suggesting the rest of us fall under the violent barbarian image created by Western orientalists—have had a role in escalating the tension against Muslims.
I am out of words to convey my feelings about the dehumanization of innocent Muslims turned victims. The reason we are hated by white supremacists does not exist. The worldview of white supremacy views Islam as a disease. Or, like one New Zealand senator called it, a religion which is systematically killing off citizens of the West.
If such a lie can flood a platform on a national level, I cannot fathom what a few words about Ibrahim would do to humanize him in the eyes of the ones who chose to murder him out of hatred. Muslims call such morally appalling acts an ifk, a lie fabricated to deliberately digress from the truth, while not an ounce of truth resides in the allegation.
When the shooter first walked into the mosque, Haji-Daoud Nabi (may God have mercy on his soul), who is now the eldest victim, was standing at the door and greeted the shooter by saying “salaam brother,” or “Peace be with you, brother.”
The terrorist then pointed his gun at Nabi and pulled the trigger. Nabi’s last words demonstrate that Islam is a peaceful religion, unlike what is said on our behalf. However, the question begging to be asked is: why are the victims of a mass shooting expected to justify their innocence?
The disturbing answer is that Muslims are constantly portrayed as evil—whether inherently or by action—and because the shooter’s actions are always traced back to an excuse to romanticize and sensationalize his actions, story, and identity.
This only emphasizes the importance of the media’s responsibility in portraying people fairly and to eradicate the fear and hatred fostered by ignorance through the spreading of knowledge and love.
Photo by Leila El Shennawy
