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Wellington:
Some survivors raged, others chanted prayers, and lots of wept for misplaced family members — however all of those that lived by New Zealand’s mosque shootings had a message of defiance Monday as they stood earlier than the gunman.
The sentencing listening to for Brenton Tarrant opened in a Christchurch courtroom with testimony from members of the Muslim group that the white supremacist focused on March 15 final yr in a rampage that claimed the lives of 51 worshippers.
Despite the horror they skilled on the two mosques, witnesses had been uncowed as they confronted Tarrant, who sat impassively within the dock.
“You transgress beyond comprehension, I cannot forgive you,” mentioned Maysoon Salama, whose son Atta Elayyan was killed.
“You gave yourself the authority to take the souls of 51 innocent people, their only crime — in your eyes — being Muslims.”
Salama mentioned the 29-year-old had not achieved his self-appointed mission to undermine New Zealand’s small, tight-knit Muslim group.
“You thought you could break us, you failed miserably,” she mentioned.
“We became more determined to hold tight to Islam and our beloved ones are martyrs.”
Khaled Alnobani echoed the sentiment, pointing to Tarrant and declaring: “We have become more united. Thank you for that.”
‘Your hatred is pointless’
Gamal Fouda, the Al Noor mosque’s imam, mentioned he wouldn’t permit Tarrant’s actions to sully a spot of peace and love for his individuals.
“I was standing on the pulpit and saw the hate in the eyes of a brainwashed terrorist, I lived with that nightmare afterwards,” he mentioned, telling Tarrant: “Your hatred is unnecessary.”
Janna Ezat, whose son Hussein Al-umari was killed as he tried to hurry the shooter, mentioned she decided to not hate Tarrant.
“I decided to forgive you Mr Tarrant because I don’t have hate… If we are able to forgive, we forgive,” she mentioned.
“The damage was done and Hussein will never be here but I have only one choice and that is to forgive you.”
Temel Atacocugu, initially from Turkey, mentioned he drew hope from the outpouring of assist the broader New Zealand group confirmed for his or her Muslim compatriots after the atrocity.
“I came to New Zealand to live with my family because it’s a peaceful country and, despite the events of March 15, I believe it will stay that way,” mentioned Atacocugu, who performed useless after being shot 9 occasions on the Al Noor mosque.
‘I’ll always remember’
Mariam Gul, whose dad and mom and sister had been murdered, mentioned Tarrant wanted to teach himself and acknowledge that Islam was a faith of peace.
“This realisation can come if he independently studies Islam,” she mentioned.
The courtroom heard of proof of youngsters shot in chilly blood and the wounded callously gunned down whereas calling for assist as Tarrant ran amok within the mosques, creating what some described as a battle zone.
Some survivors talked about struggling everlasting incapacity and psychological anguish that remained recent greater than a yr after the atrocity.
“I see the images and I hear the constant sound rata-rata-rata — the sound of the gun shooting in my head,” mentioned Abdiaziz Ali Jama, a 44-year-old Somali refugee.
“I see a lot of dead people. I have been frightened, I talk constantly at night. I hear noise and go outside sometimes to look for the shooter. I will never forget what I saw that day.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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