Wellington: The outgoing Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern in her farewell speech Wednesday praised the Muslims for their peaceful response to Christchurch Mosque terrorist attack on March 15, 2019.
Recalling the incident and about what Muslims living in New Zealand had gone through, Jacinda Ardern, said:
“I still struggle to talk about March 15.”
As many as 55 Muslims were killed when Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the 28-year-old shooter, drove to Masjid Al Noor in Christchurch and opened fire at the peaceful worshipers who were busy offering weekly Friday prayers.
In a most horrific manner, Tarrant livestreamed the entire incident on Facebook with the help of a camera installed on the helmet he was wearing.
“On the way down I had seen the front page of the paper and the image of a member of the Muslim community covered in blood in the aftermath of the attack. It was a devastating picture. As we arrived at the meeting venue in Christchurch we were greeted by a range of community members”, Jacinda Ardern recalled. “Sitting in the front row, was the same person who only hours before had been photographed. As he stood to speak, I did not know what to expect, but what came next was one of the most profound memories I have of that period. He thanked us. Here was someone who had been through the most horrific experience I could imagine, and he thanked New Zealand and expressed gratitude for his home”, she said. “To the Muslim community of Aotearoa New Zealand, you have humbled me beyond words. Assalaam Alaikum”, Jacinda said.
“On the way down I had seen the front page of the paper and the image of a member of the Muslim community covered in blood in the aftermath of the attack. It was a devastating picture. As we arrived at the meeting venue in Christchurch we were greeted by a range of community members”, Jacinda Ardern recalled.
“Sitting in the front row, was the same person who only hours before had been photographed. As he stood to speak, I did not know what to expect, but what came next was one of the most profound memories I have of that period. He thanked us. Here was someone who had been through the most horrific experience I could imagine, and he thanked New Zealand and expressed gratitude for his home”, she said.
“To the Muslim community of Aotearoa New Zealand, you have humbled me beyond words. Assalaam Alaikum”, Jacinda said.
Jacinda Ardern had in January this year announced that she will step down as Prime Minister New Zealand after being in power for six years.
While announcing her resignation as PM, Jacinda had said:
“It will be disservice to New Zealand to continue in office.”
Jacinda Ardern has always taken all communities together while in office, and on many occasion reached out to Muslims, unlike leaders in other countries.
Muslims were also overwhelmed by her gesture and decision to wear headscarf to show her solidarity with the Muslim victims of Christchurch Mosque terrorist attack.
And if her choice of attire was not enough, Jacinda began her address to the Special Session of the New Zealand Parliament - called to pay tribute to Chirstchurch mosque shooting victims that was in itself opened with recitation of Holy Quran, with Asslam o alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh (May peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be with you).
When Ardern became prime minister in 2017 at the age of 37 she was New Zealand’s third female leader and one of the youngest leaders in the world. Within a year, she had become only the second world leader to give birth in office.
Ardern said she found herself “in people’s lives during the most grief-stricken or traumatic moments” and that “their stories and faces remain etched in my mind and likely will for ever.”
In her farewell speech, Jacinda described herself as a “crier and hugger,” as well as a “worrier” but said “while I convinced myself that you cannot be a worrier and be in this place, you can.”
“I didn’t change. I leave this place as sensitive as I ever was, prone to dwell on the negative, hating question time so deeply that I would struggle to eat most days beforehand, and I am here to tell you, you can be that person and you can be here.”
Jacinda Ardern had led her Labour Party to a landslide victory in 2020.
Chris Hipkins has replaced Jacinda Ardern as the country's next Prime Minister following the latter's surprise announcement to step down. Chris Hipkins was Minister for Police, Education and Public Service in the erstwhile cabinet headed by Jacinda Ardern.
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