No amount of words is enough to condemn the gruesome killing of worshippers, who included two Bangladeshis, in two separate mosques in Christchurch of New Zealand, a country that until Friday used to be considered a shining example of ethnic diversity. The act of terror that was unleashed by an automatic weapon-totting white supremacist Australian was not just an attack on Muslim migrants that has been taking place sporadically in some western countries in recent times. There was something more in the scheme of the attacker. He wanted the world to watch live his act of mass-murder, carried out in cold blood, on social media and he succeeded in amplifying the terror. The atrocity, which is both pre-planned and methodical in nature, is an unprecedented demonstration of hatred against immigrants in general and Muslim immigrants in particular.
The 74-page manifesto titled 'The Great Replacement' that the attacker had posted online prior to execution of the ghastly act reveals his pathological hatred towards immigrants. As expected world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, strongly condemned the attack. Ironically, the Friday's attacker in his long manifesto praised Mr. Trump as a 'symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose'. It can hardly be denied that Mr. Trump's victory in the US presidential race fuelled the anti-immigrant and racial sentiment in most western countries. Earlier, the expression of such sentiment used to remain confined to individual harassment, but, lately, it has reached the level of mass killing.
There is no denying that terrorist activities pursued by a section of Islamic zealots in different countries, particularly in the USA and Europe, have given rise to hatred against the Muslim immigrants and Islam as a religion among a section of people. Anti-immigrant activists have been deliberately targeting Muslims alone in many places. But hatred should not be countered with hatred, for it, on occasions, leads to acts of violence. The people massacred in two Christchurch mosques had nothing to do with terrorism. Yet they were gunned down with millions watching live. Thus, the people who are preaching hatred and extremism on both side of the divide do need to understand that their actions are not helping the cause of anyone. Rather, they have been contributing to the extermination of many innocent people.
Unfortunately, a section of leaders of the so-called developed world have been inciting extremism and hatred under the garb of so-called nationalism. By doing so, they, in fact, are causing more harm than good to their respective countries. Such an approach might be accruing some temporary personal political benefits for them, but, in the long run, it is bound to hurt both political and economic interests of the countries concerned.
The Friday's attacker's 'manifesto' does reveal that he drew encouragement for his extremist acts from outside elements engaged in preaching radicalism and ideology of white supremacy. He treats immigrants as invaders, but does not see the great contribution the latter have been making in shaping up the destiny of countries where they live as immigrants. The response of the New Zealand government to the twin mosque attacks deserves appreciation. What it needs to do now is to examine the security issues afresh as the incidents of Friday are likely to leave a lasting impact on its population.
