Two years after he left the artwork outside a mosque, Silivelio Fasi has admitted to being the artist.

Until then, the only identifying mark on the artwork was ‘S Fasi' scrawled in one corner.

Fasi is an old boy and parent of Catholic Cathedral College who, for a long while has tutored the College's Pasifika group.

"I just wanted to put it with the flowers and let it be,'' the former mystery artist says.

"... The intention wasn't for anyone to know who did it. I wanted to leave it there to share my feelings and thoughts."

It is his way of honouring those who died, he says.

He used a couple of doors he found dumped on the side of the road to create his artwork. He picked them up and worked on them in his garage for a couple of hours.

The painting he created features a woman wearing the New Zealand flag as a hijab. The names of the dead are written around the edge of the painting as a tribute.

Fasi says painting the work helped him express his raw feelings about the attacks.

"We can still exercise our religion and be Kiwi and live here."

"I just started sketching away and really wanted to get the right emotion.

"The whole image of the female wearing the flag was iconic for me.

The painting has become an emblem of the Kiwi response to the attack.

Fasi says using the doors as a canvas gives the artwork extra meaning.

"It was about opening the door to love and closing the door on hate."

He is shocked at the journey the painting has been on since he left it outside the mosque.

The painting was later featured in an exhibition of tributes at the Christchurch Art Gallery.

"There was a photo of [Prime Minister] Jacinda Ardern at the exhibition and my painting was right behind her. People were still trying to find out who I was by then.

"I thought that was pretty cool."

On the first anniversary of the attack, the painting was featured on the front page of The Press newspaper.

"I got The Press in the morning and told my wife. Even then they couldn't find me."

He was eventually tracked down by the Canterbury Museum during its research in preparation for making the artwork part of its collection.

It is on display in an exhibition called Mosque.

"They own it for good, and they will keep it safe and make sure it doesn't get damaged," says Fasi.

"I was at the exhibition and a mother was there with her daughter and she was pointing to one of the names and was saying that is her dad. That was when it really sunk in.

"When you create something you don't realise how big the impact will be."

Besides his role as a youth worker and creating art, Fasi is known for tutoring a 75 student Pasifika group for their performance at the annual Canterbury Polyfest.

Source

• Stuff
• Image: Stuff

"This follows a general trend occurring across the country, where religious diversity has been collapsed into broader discussions of biculturalism, ethnic diversity and superdiversity."

He says the result has been that "we lack the expertise to talk to the New Zealand state and citizenry about the contemporary challenges occurring around religious diversity".

Hoverd thinks the lack of emphasis on religion will create problems for understanding social cohesion and healing after Christchurch.

He says Prime Minister Jacinda Arden argued that the very reason our nation was targeted for a terrorist event was because of its diversity.

She noted that New Zealand has "200 ethnicities, 160 languages, and amongst that diversity we share common values".

But "Her language focused solely on ethnic diversity and did not mention religion or religious diversity".

Hoverd posed the question: "After the decline of the study of religion in New Zealand, how will we develop a sensitive and informed discussion and language of religious diversity where increased state management and community cohesion can function together to renew our nation as a safe and harmonious place that accepts all people, no matter what they believe?"

Personal Contact breaks down fears

Another Massey academic, Professor Stephen Croucher, says his research in India, France, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States has shown that many dominant group members, often white Christians in those countries, express fear of immigrants in their nations.

"The more contact we have with each other and learn about one another, the less likely we are to fear one another," he says.

Dr Wil Hoverd is a senior lecturer at the Massey University Centre for Defence and Security Studies. A sociologist of religion by training, he is an expert in religious diversity and New Zealand national security.

Professor Stephen Croucher is the head of Massey University's School of Communication, Marketing and Journalism.

Source:

• massey.ac.nz
• massey.ac.nz
• radionz.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• Image: canterbury.ac.nz

"This is your home," wrote a Wellington artist, and "you should have been safe here."

But the flowers will, eventually, wither away. It is up to us to make sure that when they do, what they represent will endure. That all New Zealanders will not only feel at home here, but be safe, regardless of their race or religion.

Already, we are seeing how an evil act has been met with love, how the precious lives lost have brought us closer together—how our hearts have broken yet our bonds of aroha stronger than ever before.

Our Prime Minister has been a shining light amidst the darkness, radiating both strength and compassion in equal brilliance.

Her leadership has been a salve and shoulder to those mourning, and, I believe, will help hasten the healing of our collective wounds.

Our scars, however, will remain.

We must continue as we have begun. We cannot live as if these scars don't exist going about life how we did before, but most importantly, we must not respond in a spirit of fear.

For fear is the ultimate motivation of this attack—the white supremacist ideology fueled by terror, ignited by hate, and justified by ignorance.

The deepest ignorance is the desecration of human dignity, the idea that some humans aren't as inherently valuable as others.

That, certainly, is not "us."

But Brenton Tarrant is also not a nameless monster who came from nowhere, an anomaly we can shake our hands from.

He was alone during his attack, yes, but spurred on by the howls of faceless others in shadowy corners of the web—some, assuredly, logging on in our own country.

He isn't mentally unwell, just extremely deluded.

And just because he didn't grow up here, doesn't make this not our problem.

He is human too—and in that sense part of "us"—and the moment we begin to dehumanise and distance ourselves from this, we are falling right into his trap.

We must paradoxically be vulnerable ourselves by seeking and cherishing relationships with those who are different to us

We need to seek to understand so we can prevent others doing the same.

This is New Zealand now, and us is a diverse group.

Views must be confronted, not shut out and ignored.

We must get serious about so-called casual racism, and at the same time ensure reasonable democratic debate around issues like immigration and national values are not silenced.

Policies like banning semi-automatic weapons and cracking down on irresponsible social media giants will make our shores less vulnerable to hate.

But to be a true stronghold, we must paradoxically be vulnerable ourselves by seeking and cherishing relationships with those who are different to us—kanohi ki te kanohi: face to face. A nation marked by these encounters will never be overcome by terror and division.

The flowers will wither and the scars will remain.

We must honour those who lost their lives and defy the ideas of the man that took them by fervently seeking to uphold and protect human dignity in Aotearoa New Zealand.

• First published by the Maxim Institute.
• Kieran Madden joined Maxim Institute as a researcher in 2012 after graduating with a Master of Public Policy from the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University.
• Image: Maxim Institute

In their recent newsletters and press releases, they say that the wake of terror attacks, governments often consider curtailing a number of civil liberties.

"With that in mind, the Coalition has invested time into following Government announcements and calls for action from political parties and NGOs."

They have raised concerns about;

Banning of websites

Spokesman Dr David Cumin said the FSC didn't challenge the original decision of ISPs to block websites.

"They are after all private enterprises, and concerned customers have the option of using a competitor."

"However, a threat to free speech has emerged with the Government's intervention.

Governments don't just ‘ask kindly' for companies to block content - any request from those with regulatory power comes with an implicit threat of ‘…or else'."

Chief censor's decision

Last weekend the chief censor announced that the terrorist's 74-page manifesto is now classified as ‘objectionable', making it a crime to hold, share, or quote from.

Anybody caught with the document on their computer could face up to 10 years in prison, while anyone caught sending it could face 14 years.

Cummin says: " This is a dangerous precedent that seems to fly in the face of the rights of New Zealanders to seek understanding about the motivation behind the terrorist's evil acts."

He said most New Zealanders will have no interest in reading the rants of an evil person.

"But there is a major debate going on right now on the causes of extremism.

Kiwis should not be wrapped in cotton wool with their news and information censored."

"New Zealanders need to be able to understand the nature of evil and how it expresses itself."

Source

• freespeechcoalition.nz
• freespeechcoalition.nz
• scoop.co.nz
• apnews.com
• Image: thedailyblog.co.nz

The verse, Luke 19:27, reads: "But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me," according to the King James version of the Bible. Read more

It's just paradise. Heaven.

In the polluted concrete jungle of oppression and poverty that is big city Iran, the crisp waterfalls and snow-peaked mountains we had shown her sounded too good to be true.

The people are so friendly, the cities are so clean, the houses with their big backyards, the beaches all stretch for miles. Above all, it is safe.

But is there a rot that lies here beneath the cloak of decency that my grandmother fell for? Have you spoken to your migrant friends about their every day interactions before assuming that this isn't a racist country?

I have dark olive skin and Middle Eastern features. I'm both proud of that and also carry the weight of that.

My parents moved to Christchurch in 1989, I was just about to turn 5. I'm a Kiwi and I'm proud of that too, there isn't any other place that I want my kids to grow up in. But I'm also reminded constantly that I am different.

I've been spat at more than once and been told to "go back to India" countless times.

At primary school, I played mostly with the few other migrant kids because I wasn't accepted by most.

I knew not to approach groups in the playground because they would start chanting, "the brown girl's here," and stop playing. As a kid, I was told my family was dirty and asked what colour my blood was. In high school, it was worse and it was constant.

Where do school children and teenagers pick up this rhetoric? Parents have a lot to answer for.

I saw skinheads proudly and staunchly pacing Christchurch streets many times, swastikas on show. It seemed worse after 9/11. I hid from them, rage bubbling inside me. We've all been hiding from them for too long.

I once had a group of them turn up to a party at our university flat in Riccarton and start a fire in a drum in our backyard.

They burnt my bike and a bunch of our stuff. They weren't there to hate on me, they were just party crashing but one got close to me and screamed, "f... all the jews," in my face.

I hid in my bedroom for the rest of the night.

Skinheads crashing parties in Christchurch was common, it was just part of the city's landscape. My little sister, 7 years my junior, has said the same thing.

They're still around causing havoc.

Who is responsible for reining these people in? How can we stop their hate? Continue reading

• Shabnam Dastgheib (pictured) is an Iranian-New Zealander and proud Kiwi who emigrated to Christchurch with her mum and dad when she was five and lived there most of her life. She now lives in Auckland.

The recent massacre at the mosques in Christchurch has brought deep grief to all of us. As church leaders of Oceania, we condemn this evil attack and are shocked and horrified that such an atrocity should take place against innocent people. We are equally horrified that it should be perpetrated in a place of prayer and worship, when freedom to worship is cherished in our countries.

We wish to express our deepest sympathies to the victims and those who grieve because of the consequences of the terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand.

To all our Muslim brothers and sisters in New Zealand, Australia and around the world, we stand in solidarity with you in your horror, grief and distress.

We offer our prayers on behalf of the Catholic Bishops of Oceania to the deceased, the injured and to all the individuals and communities who have been affected by this senseless violence. We also wish to pray for Bishop Paul Martin who was supposed to join us in Townsville this week for our meeting.

In times like this we should take the time to reflect on the way we treat one another as children of God.

Source

Supplied

Executive Committee of FCBCO

Archbishop Peter Loy Chong, Archbishop of Suva, Fiji - President of FCBCO

Bishop Charles Drennan, Bishop of Palmerston North - Vice President of FCBCO

Bishop Tim Harris, Bishop of Townsville

Bishop Michael McCarthy, Bishop Rockhampton

Archbishop Christopher Cardone, Bishop of Honiara

Bishop Peter Brown, Bishop of American Samoa, Pago Pago

Bishop Anton Bal, Bishop of Kundiawa

The Executive of FCBCO is currently meeting in Townsville for their annual Executive meeting and commencing preparations for their Plenary Council Meeting in Fiji in 2022.

Some social media users shared misleading videos allegedly showing attacks on churches and mass conversions to Islam. We debunked some of the videos below - and show you where they really came from. Read more

"We will condemn this horrifying act of violence as extreme and out of the ordinary, we will come together as a nation and hold vigils, and we will try to move on from this tragic incident," says Lamia Imam.

But she thinks that unless some very difficult actions are taken "vigils and speeches are useless. We are just waiting for the next massacre".

"We need policy changes from the government - to media outlets to social media platforms.

"We need to decide what our values are and if anti-immigrant racist sentiments align to those values."

If they don't, she says such sentiments should not be given a platform.

Though Facebook New Zealand, Google and Twitter all issued statements hours after the attack that they were working with the New Zealand Police to take down content associated with the attack, the content had by then spread far and wide across the web.

"If we want to change hearts and minds, we must show what the alternative is," said Imam.

Editors have to be willing to give up on "clicks", political leaders have to be willing to reject "racist votes", social media platforms have to forgo revenue.

The New Zealand Government has sought "urgent" advice from the State Services Commission about how its agencies use social media platforms.

Many New Zealand businesses said they are reassessing their use of social media channels for advertising.

The CEOs of three of New Zealand's largest broadband providers, Spark, Vodafone and 2degrees, have published an open letter to the major social media providers.

Following European proposals which include taking down material within a specified period, they suggest proactive measures and fines of up to $80m for failure to do so.

Dr Paul Ralph has published an open letter to Facebook.

He lists the role social media play in terrorism and hate speech.

Ralph goes on to suggest what the social media platforms could and must do to stop providing extremists with a platform to spread their message.

Lamia Imam was born in NZ and grew up in Bangladesh and the US before attending the University of Canterbury, majoring in Political Science and Law. She currently works as a Communications Manager in Austin, Texas.

Paul Ralph is a senior lecturer in computer science at the University of Auckland.

Source

• newsroom
• .stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• newstalkzb.co.nz
• noted.co.nz
• Image: newstalkzb.co.nz

It was the first time Parliament had opened with a Muslim prayer, to the best knowledge of the Speaker's Office.

The interfaith group included representatives of the Islamic, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Ratana, Catholic, Anglican and Presbyterian faiths and churches.

The Catholic archbishop of Wellington Cardinal John Dew represented the Catholic church.

In New Zealand's Parliament, non-MPs on the floor of the debating chamber are known as strangers.

As the name implies they are not allowed there and are not welcome.

That, however, was not the case on Tuesday.

"I've asked a group of religious leaders to come into Parliament with me as a sign of unity and togetherness ..." Mallard said.

Sung first in Arabic by Imam Nizam ul haq Thanvi, and then translated into English, the prayer asked God for help with "patience and prayers", noting "God is with people who are patient".

The prayer also acknowledged Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and those who responded to the terror attack including medical staff, the police, religious groups and all New Zealanders who had offered help and support.

The Imam's prayer was followed by prayers from both Maori and Pakeha MPs.

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• newsroom.co.nz
• Image: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

And on Wednesday At Al-Madinah School in Mangere, Auckland, a haka, prayer and waiata rang out at an assembly to remember those affected by the Christchurch mosque shootings.

St Thomas of Canterbury College, a Catholic school, learned that a former student who was a Muslim, Hussein Hazim Al-Umari, was killed in the attack.

In honour of Al-Umari and the other 49 victims, head boy Cameron Brewitt and a large number of pupils and ex-students organised to pay their respects by visiting the outside of the mosque at the Students' Uniting in Love Memorial.

They sang a Fijian hymn and performed their moving school haka.

Brewitt says he is proud his Catholic school is inclusive of other religions and cultures.

He told the New Zealand Herald that the school respected different cultures and religions.

"The diversity in our school really highlights the respect and the amount of outpouring for this tragedy, and again highlights the respect we have for everyone no matter what ethnicity you are or the religion you follow," he said.

At Al-Madinah School hundreds of school children, students and politicians had gathered in remembrance.

Everyone stood for the national anthem, but it was a rousing Ka Mate haka from a handful of boys which was met with raucous applause.

As the cry finished ringing out, the boys, in their white-and-black traditional uniforms, vigorously beat their feet on the ground.

Students from St Paul's school in Auckland sang a rendition of the Maori hymn "Mo Maria", after they were invited inside the Al-Masjid Al Jamie Mosque in Ponsonby on Tuesday.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• tvnz.co.nz
• Image: screenshot tvnz.co.nz

We are deeply saddened by these tragic events and we strongly condemn these acts of racial hatred and murder. We feel very deeply for our fellow New Zealand faith community, which was so cruelly attacked as worshippers peacefully gathered for prayer.

We extend our prayerful and heartfelt sympathy to the Muslim community here in New Zealand, and around the world. The whole Christian church community in New Zealand is praying for the Muslim community: praying for the healing of the wounded, comfort for the bereaved, and for God's peace upon all who have been traumatised.

At this time of deep shock, grief, and anxiety, we ask and pray for all New Zealanders to stand united, to have great love and compassion, and to show unfailing respect and kindness for all people who live in this society of Aotearoa New Zealand, regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation.

We believe there is absolutely no room for racial hatred in our land, and we are determined that we must stand together as one people, united as human beings created by God, and as fellow New Zealanders. May goodness overcome evil, and peace and goodwill prevail.

• Rev Dr Bruce Allder, District Superintendent, Church of the Nazarene
• Pastor Steve Burgess, Regional Overseer, C3 Churches
• Cardinal John Dew, Catholic Church of New Zealand
• Pastor Iliafi Esera, General Superintendent, Assemblies of God New Zealand
• Rev Tale Hakeagaiki , Chairman, Congregational Union of New Zealand
• Pastor Dr Brian Hughes, Regional Leader, Calvary Chapel Association
• Rt Rev Fakaofo Kaio, Moderator, Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand
• Rev Dr Stuart Lange, Interim National Director, New Zealand Christian Network
• Pastor Brent Liebezeit, President, Christian Churches New Zealand
• Rev Andrew Marshall, National Director, Alliance Churches of New Zealand
• Pastor Peter Mortlock, Senior Pastor, City Impact Church

18 March 2019

Dear brothers and sisters in Aotearoa New Zealand,

It is with profound sadness that we grieve for the deaths and injury of Muslims in Christchurch through the violence of extremists. We grieve too for the loss of a sense of safety and peace for all Muslims in this land in the face of such an attack. Every Kiwi, new or old, now feels our heart touched by the evil of hatred. The stark reality that our neighbours could do such a thing moves us to an even deeper awareness of the overwhelming need for love to be the driving force in our relationships with one another, rather than animosity or narrow-mindedness.

As a committee and as individuals we have formed many wonderful relationships with Muslim friends and acquaintances. We have been blessed by dialogue which has revealed the beauty and peace of those who live a religion of prayer, generosity and belief in the same God of Abraham in whom we believe. Our practices and understandings regarding faith may be different in many ways, but there is much we share and celebrate. Our differences are an opportunity to engage with one another, never a reason for division.

While our hearts go out to our Muslim brothers and sisters in their loss, pain and fear, we wish to draw attention away from the murder and violence towards the need for each of us to open our hearts to those of different cultures and faiths. We pray not just for healing of the injured and comfort to those who mourn, but for a renewed outreach to others in love, kindness and welcome.

The displays of grief and compassion exhibited by so many people since this terrible atrocity signal hope. They reveal the larger truth of humanity in response to a closed hatred. We need to continue to practically reach out to one another in friendship and kindness. It needs to be more than a moment in time but a habit of life. Ultimately it is a personal choice, in our context, to do as Jesus did - to smother hatred through reaching out with physical hands and loving our neighbour.

We especially hold our Muslim friends in prayer at this time and we pray for all peoples and all faiths. May we be instruments of peace to one another so that all may feel safe and loved.

Peace, Salaam, Colin MacLeod

On behalf of committee members:

+Michael Dooley, Colin MacLeod (chair), Mary Eastham, Adele Churchman, Teresa Fernandez, Matthew Gardner, Daniel Kleinsman, Beate Matthies and Christopher Longhurst

* The NZCBCIR has produced a small booklet, Promoting Interfaith Relations, which might help with some ideas and suggestions for supporting the building of relationships. The link is: www.catholic.org.nz/assets/PromotingInterfaithRelations.pdf