Terror Attack on New Zealand Mosques - We must all stand against anti Muslim hatred

MEDIA STATEMENT 15th March 2019 Terror Attack on New Zealand Mosques - We must all stand against anti Muslim hatred Muslim Women's Network UK is devastated to hear the news that at least 49 people have been killed in mass shootings at mosques in New Zealand and with many more injured. We understand that some other attackers may still be at large. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their loved ones in this time of grief. We also pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured and the safety of everyone else. Chair Nazmin Akthar said: "It goes without saying that there is no justification or mitigation for these senseless killings. The fact that the attacks were carried out on a Friday - a day of significance to Muslims - suggests to us that this was a carefully thought out plan intended to maximise harm. We've also heard that an anti-immigrant manifesto was left by the killer responsible for the attacks, highlighting in our opinion a clear link between these killings, the peddling of anti-immigrant rhetoric and the rise in Islamophobia and racism.  We therefore urge that this manifesto and the video footage of the shootings are not shared on social media - we must all work together to ensure that hate is not given more air time." We hope that those who deem it acceptable to pander to the far right by pushing anti-immigrant and Islamophobic narratives for their own personal and/or political agendas will now reflect on the consequences of doing so. Innocent lives have been lost due to hate-mongering and the rise of the far-right. We cannot allow anyone to spread hate in our world and must stand together to stop anyone who acts otherwise. Ends For further information contact: Shaista Gohir OBE (Interim Executive Director of MWNUK) 0121 236 9000 / 07802 225989 / contact@mwnuk.co.uk / contact@shaistagohir.com Nazmin Akthar (Chair of MWNUK) 0121 236 9000 / / contact@mwnuk.co.uk / 07972 542475 Muslim Women's Network UK (www.mwnuk.co.uk) is the national leading Muslim women's charity working to improve the social justice and equality for Muslim women and girls.