Monday, July 11, 2005

Sad backlash

I have been saddened by the attacks on a number of Mosque's in apparent retaliation to the London bombings.

While I understand people's anger at the perpetrators of the attack (we like many kiwis have a number of friends in London), it is patently wrong to round on people in our own community who have nothing to do with international terrorism. In my experience, New Zealands Moslem community is peaceful and law abiding, and in fact its leadership works closely with other faiths to foster understanding and tolerance.

New Zealand is a relative haven of tolerance in an increasingly polarised world, and I sinerely hope that this kind of reaction doesn't become more widespread.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello again,
Well, as you said in a previous post, on a previous thread, unfortunately Totnes, like so many marginal constituencies did not fall to the Liberal Democrats. Oh well.

I read today in the Daily Telegraph of the attacks on Mosques in New Zealand and I must say I am quite shocked, as I know as well as many others in Britain, of the gentleness, inherent in the New Zealand character. I feel it a great shame, in this case, that the prescription to the world's ills was a resort to violence; and misdirected violence at that, as has been aforementioned - the general law-abidingness of the New Zealand Muslim.

We have heard a lot recently from British politicians suggesting that the bombings will not change our way of life; and this is true, and true to both of our countries, I feel.

There has been some soul-searching in Britain at this moment, however it is clear that there has been an overall, and I quote "calm" ,concerning the resonse to these attacks, and just as we believe that we shall carry on, unintimidated, so should those who wish practice in the Mosques of New Zealand, in accordance to their everyday lives.

Anonymous said...

Hi Michael,
I would not worry too much about it as there will always be cretins who will do these things for the simple reason of getting attention. Some high profile examples are One Tree Hill, various Maraes burnt down under suspicious circumstances, Axe in the Window of the PMs office, desecration of Jewish Graves etc. I know in Manurewa of some local churches that get regularly desecrated, an incident the night before ANZAC day where one of the big memorials was purposely trashed, play centres where kids outside toys are destroyed and human faeces smeared on the doors and hidden in the sandpits. The best thing that can happen is that the perpetrators be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Cheers Toa

Michael Wood said...

Yes Toa, I think you're right - there will always be intolerant types around just waiting for an "excuse" for this kind of behaviour.

I think however that when it happens, that it is important for the public condemnation to be as strong as possible in order for such behaviour to not become part of the normal course of events in our society.

Anonymous said...

Michael, could you please learn to use apostrophes properly? I make the effort, as a National voter, to read your blog, so I can feel relatively informed of the actions of both sides, but your constant raping of the Queen's English makes this extremely hard.