We are one?

It’s now a week since the horrific events in Christchurch and kiwis are still reeling and trying to come to grips with it all.

Many vigils have taken place and many more are planned for today. Mosques like my local Al Masjid Al Jam’e above have become meeting points for those wanting to express their solidarity and horror, to leave flowers and messages of support as members welcome them and share a conversation – and an invitation – as mosques across the country will today welcome the public to 5 o’clock prayer.

Many women across the country today don a hijab in support and the ‘call to prayer’ has been played for the first time in our parliament. A national petition has been answered with perhaps the quickest law change in our history as military style semi-automatic weapons have this week been banned. Not many of us realised they were even available for sale.

Conversions across the country and in the press have been endless, popular comments have been along the lines of ‘this is not us’ and ‘we are one’ as kiwis try to figure out how this could have happened here, but emerging voices are being heard from more along the lines of ‘we’ve been trying to warn for years’. There is plenty to think about.