MCCT STATEMENT ON THE TERROR ATTACK IN NEW ZEALAND
March 15, 2019
We awoke today to the devastating news that 49 innocent Muslim worshippers at two different mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand were gunned down by an avowed white nationalist. We are grief-stricken in the face of this senseless act of violence, motivated by anti-Muslim hatred, that has destroyed so many lives and left so many bereft of their loved ones. As Muslims across the country attend today’s Friday prayers, we cannot help but feel heartbreak and disgust that, once gain, a house of worship—a place dedicated to the worship of God, a place of communal gathering, and perhaps above all, a place of peace and solace—instead became the scene of hate-fueled, wonton violence.
As we mourn the victims of this tragedy, we also cannot help but remember the recent terror attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh as well as the Charleston church shooting, both motivated by the same hateful ideology—white nationalism. Let us be clear: the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut condemns all acts of violence against innocent civilians in the name of any ideology or religion. All such acts constitute terrorism, and all must be unequivocally condemned.
In the wake of this tragedy, the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut calls on all Americans to come together to work toward mutual understanding and respect. Further, we believe it is incumbent upon us, in these distressing times, to reflect on how political rhetoric demonizing Muslims and other minorities contributes to and enables tragedies like this one.
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