New Zealand tragedy hits home
March 21, 2019
On March 15, a gunman killed 49 people, leaving many more injured and the world in mourning in what authorities are calling a politically motivated act of terror against the Muslim community in Christchurch, New Zealand.
On Monday, March 18, the Muslim Student Association of CSU Bakersfield held a twilight vigil in remembrance of the victims and in solidarity against the violence.
Muslim students held evening prayers on the lawn outside the Student Union, and a table of candles stood lit on a memorial bearing the names and photos of the remembered. Among those in attendance were Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh, who spoke about the vitality of love, and Ward 2 Councilman Andrae Gonzales, who called it a “personal mission” to join the members of the CSUB community.
“I was moved to hear that students were organizing a vigil,” said Gonzales. “I think it’s wonderful that our community comes together and takes a moment to reflect, and to pray for those who lost their lives, and for their loved ones in New Zealand.”
Immediately following the attack, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern moved to ban the type of weapon used from the country, saying “Our gun laws will change.” Ardern’s swift action has brought praise from around the world, as well as prompting a Change.org petition asking to award her the Nobel Peace Prize, which has garnered more than 20,000 signatures.
Speaking at a weekend vigil in Auckland, Ardern said, “I believe what I have done has not been about leadership. All I have done is simply echoed the humanity of New Zealanders.”
Pastor Dave Stabenfeldt of the First Congregational Church United Church of Christ, who also spoke at the vigil, recognized both the grief that brought the people together and the comfort that coming together has brought them.
“The reason that we’re here, as a community, is that a horrendous massacre has forced us to look at each other and see that all of our divides are meaningless. That all of our divides are really just stigma,” says Stabenfeldt. “We have to find a way to let go of that stigma and see each other as human beings, filled with hope and sorrow, and bound together in love.”
