The imam who was speaking at his Christchurch mosque when worshippers were gunned down called on people to take action against racial discrimination in a speech in Dunedin yesterday.
Al Noor mosque imam Gamal Fouda was in the city delivering the 16th annual Open Peace Lecture at the University of Otago in front of a large crowd.
He described how he ended up in New Zealand following his graduation from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, in 1998 after studying Islamic theology.
Afer working in the country's Ministry of Religious Affairs, he was offered a job as an imam in a mosque in the United States.
But the year was 2002 and in the Islamophobic climate after the September 11 attacks, Egyptian officials decided the country was not safe for a young man like him, so he was sent to New Zealand. "We all thought it would be safe.''
He arrived in Palmerston North in early 2003 and struggled with addressing people in English, as well as what he said was a widespread feeling at the time that Muslims were bad people.
Mr Fouda described staying in the mosque for about four months, scared to venture out.
But he began to feel more comfortable and welcomed when a person in the street approached him and said "Hello Bro''.
More than a decade later, he had just begun delivering his Friday speech at the Al Noor mosque when the Christchurch terror accused walked up to a worshipper, who greeted the accused with "Hello Brother'', before gunning him down. "This terrible person wanted to divide our nation apart but we quickly stood together and we said that no hate will divide us.''
One week after the attacks at the two mosques left 51 people dead, Mr Fouda addressed thousands of people with a message of unity he reaffirmed last night.
He called on people not to tolerate racism or discrimination. "Racial discrimination is often repeated unless action is taken. So we have to take it seriously, talk to the person, give him or her advice.
"It may not impact you directly but definitely it will impact somebody else very badly.
"Islamophobia is real ... it killed us in Christchurch.''
Star News
