Muslim community in mourning after New Zealand attacks leave 50 dead

Two days after the New Zealand mosque shootings left 50 dead, the Muslim community is in mourning. At the Pocatello Mosque, they are preaching that people denounce hate and take more time to learn about each other.

Over the past few days, flowers, handwritten notes and even cookies have been sent to the mosque by members of the community.

“You know that’s the real spirit behind incidents like this, which really shows that unity and inclusivity is bigger than evil,” Fahim Rahim said.

“And that’s the community’s response, standing next to each other,” He said. “No matter what entity or religion you’re from. It warms our heart. Obviously, it doesn’t heal the wounds of those victims but it helps a lot.”

“To me, seeing that shows that our community doesn’t have room for hate,” Beena Rahim added.

The Rahim’s feel that incidents of the sort just reinforce the need to take a stand against hate and hate speech, no matter who it’s coming from or who it’s directed at.

“That is a step we all need to take together, to prevent these acts, whether they happen in a mosque, in a synagogue, in a church or any part of the world,” Fahim said. “I think we all have to understand this as our civic responsibility, not a religious one, to bring all of us together.”

Another thing the Rahim’s felt was a big factor was education. Talking about and experiencing things with people of all races and religions without judgment. Something they encouraged with the Christmas dinner they hosted at the mosque last year.

“A lot of community members came in, for some of them it was their first-lifetime experience to step inside a mosque and realizing that it’s just a place. You know? So I think that those kinds of interactions are critical,” Fahim explained.

While they believe that taking these steps may help prevent attacks of the sort in the future, it’s still a time of mourning that they believe the community will be with them for.

“This community will stand together and the numbers will show our unity. And just like we will share each other’s joy, we will share in each other’s sorrow and stand together,” he said.

The mosque is planning to host a candlelight vigil on Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m., all are welcome.