People reacts as they move the flowers after police removed a police line, outside Masjid Al Noor in Christchurch, New Zealand, March 16, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Silva TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
CAIRO- 16 March 2019: Deadly mass shootings in New Zealand’s Christchurch that killed more than 50 people and injured dozens have been seen an indication to the escalation of Islamophobia in non-Muslim countries.
Egypt’s Daar al-Iftaa, the Islamic institute authorized to issue Islamic laws, said that New Zealand mosque attacks showed that “Islamophobia is a cross-border terrorism,” adding “White supremacists are not primarily in New Zealand. They are everywhere. Islamophobia is a terrorist risk. They, and those who mobilize them, must be stopped.”
During Friday prayer, Australian citizen Brenton Tarrant (28) opened fire randomly at worshippers inside Al Noor Mosque in the city of Christchurch and anther mosque, killing more than 50 people and injured dozens.
The shooter strapped a GoPro camera to his head and broadcast his massacre live on his twitter account, which is now suspended. He was charged with murder by the Christchurch District Court and intended to continue other attacks when arrested, Reuters reported. Before committing his crime, he sent an e-mail to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, the parliament speaker, and a number of national and international media outlets on his planned attacks, New Zealand Herald reported.
Few hours after the New Zealand attack, British newspaper The Sun published a disturbing footage showing two armed men with hammers running in the streets in east London, escaping after attacking a worshiper near a mosque. The act was condemned by the Islamophobia Monitoring Observatory at Egypt's Dar al-Ifta.
"The Secretary-General reiterates the urgency of working better together globally to counter Islamophobia and eliminate intolerance and violent extremism in all its forms," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ spokesperson in a statement.
Dozens of protests against the deadly mass shootings in New Zealand’s Christchurch went to streets, raising signs call for putting an end to Islamo-phobia. In India’s Srinagar and Jammu, dozens of people protested to denounce the attack; Another march was staged in Canada’s Toronto, raising placard says “United against Islamophobia,” Reuters reported.
Early December 2018, the Islamophobia Monitoring Observatory (Islamophobia Watch) announced that hatred speech against Muslims increased globally.
Despite of the fact that increasing Islamophobia phenomenon is being rejected by millions of people and world leaders, some politician’s comments could increase hatred against Muslims; far-right Australian senator Fraser Anning was egged by a teenage over his racist comments, in which he blamed the New Zealand attack on Islam and the Muslim migration to Australia.
Following the mass shootings, Anning issued a statement saying “The real cause of bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program which allowed Muslims fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place,” adding “the entire religion of Islam is simply the violent ideology of a six century despot masquerading as a religious leader, which justifies endless war against anyone who opposes it and calls for the murder of unbelievers and apostates.”
Spokesperson of Egypt’s Daar al-Iftaa Dr. Ibrahim Negm told Egypt Today on Saturday the senator’s comments are inciting violence against the Muslims.
“These comments are an explicit incitement to violence against Muslims. He [the senator] should be punished by law to save societies from slipping into the spiral of violence and counter-violence. We, at the same time, call for the criminalization of hate speech and inciting violence in all directions to preserve social and international peace and security,” he said.
Leader of Opposition at the Australian parliament Bill Shorten slammed Anning, adding in a post on Twitter the latter does not speak of the parliament.
Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan - Muslim-majority country- blamed the terrorist attack on Christchurch mosques on Islamophobia phenomenon.
“I blame these increasing terror attacks on the current Islamophobia post-9/11 where Islam & 1.3 bn Muslims have collectively been blamed for any act of terror by a Muslim,” he tweeted.
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