'We retaliated with love' - Man who lost wife in Christchurch terrorist attack speaks a year on

March 13, 2020

Farid Ahmed spoke at Friday Prayers, one year after the terrorist attack in which 51 people were killed.

Members of the Christchurch Muslim community attend Friday prayers every week, but this week is a little different.

Friday Prayers were held at Christchurch's Horncastle Arena today as hundreds of the city's Muslims marked the anniversary of the terrorist attack in which 51 were killed.

A lone gunman killed 51 people at Christchurch's Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre during the prayers on March 15 last year.

Today, Masjid Al Noor Iman Gamal Fouda led the sermon and Linwood's Imam, Abdul Lateef, led the prayer.

Speaking at the prayers, Farid Ahmed, who lost his wife at Al Noor mosque, spread a message of love.

"Muslim community in Christchurch, despite the way they have struggled, despite their grief, despite their loss of their loved ones, we did not retaliate with hate, we retaliated with love, with patience and with peace and the whole world is watching us," he told worshippers.

"We are human beings. We may have differences and differences is good most of the time as long as we deal with our differences in a peaceful way, we want peace, we do not want anyone out there to lose someone they love and to suffer like we suffer.

"We have been suffering but we have chosen the peace because we want to show the world that Muslim loves peace, Islam loves peace and Christchurch community loves peace."

Mr Ahmed called the 51 people killed "the heroes of the world", in talking about how they died in a peaceful and honourable way.

"They received bullets in a peaceful way, they were peaceful worshippers, we are proud of them," he said.

But there was still confusion over what happened one year ago, he admitted.

"One year from 15th of March tragedy, and still now we don't understand why some people hate us. We don't hate them, my wife didn't hate them, my 51 brothers and sisters and children didn't hate anyone so they didn't deserve this.

"If there is anyone out there listening to me, please listen carefully, we don't hate you, Islam teaches us that we are one large human family, we are created by one god and we are from the same parents - Adam and Eve - and we should treat one another with love."

He had one message for people who may not understand the religion.

"Anyone out there listening to me, if you have any misunderstanding of us talk to us peacefully...we don't need to destroy one-another, we don't need to hate one-another.

"It was a hate attack on 15th March," he said. "The Muslim community in Christchurch, they did not retaliate the hate with hate."

There will be a memorial event at Christchurch's Horncastle Arena at 3pm on Sunday.

The Remembrance Service will be broadcast live on TVNZ 1 and 1NEWS.co.nz from 3pm on Sunday.

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