In the hope of finding peace, safety, and new opportunities for his family, Daoud Nabi fled his home country of Afghanistan with his two sons in 1977.
Christchurch, New Zealand, then became his home, the home where his sons and grandchildren would later grow up in the alleged safety of a first world country.
Nabi became a model citizen. Around his community, he was known for always being willing to extend a friendly hand to refugees from all over. He was, as he is described, a man with a golden and pure heart, who would always do what he could to help those who needed guidance.
But for his beliefs, for the religion that he preached, Daoud Nabi was shot and killed in his house of worship.
His last words were “Hello Brother,” spoken to his killer as the assassin walked into Christchurch’s Masjid Al Noor mosque (one of the two mosques that he targeted) with multiple automatic weapons—a massacre that was live streamed on Facebook and spawned by anti-immigrant and Islamophobic sentiments.
This was a week ago. Today, 50 families are mourning the death of their loved one as they prepare to say their last goodbyes.
“Our thoughts and our prayers are with those who have been impacted today,” said New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at a press conference on March 15 after the attack.
“Christchurch was the home of these victims. For many, this may not have been the place they were born. In fact, for many, New Zealand was their choice,” she continued.
“We were not chosen for this act of violence because we condone racism, because we are an enclave for extremism. We were chosen for the very fact that we are none of these things. Because we represent diversity, kindness, compassion, a home for those who share our values, refuge for those who need it.”
Initially, there were three men and one woman arrested as possible suspects of the terrorist attacks, but two days after the shootings, Brenton Harris Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian man, appeared to be the only and main suspect in custody linked to the mass shootings.
Hours before the attack, Tarrant had posted an 87-page manifesto, which was formatted as a Q&A with its author asking and answering the questions, on social media. The document was filled with anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim ideals, and it also referenced various white supremacists and even President Donald Trump.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern received this same manifesto through an email 30 minutes before the attack, an email sent by the main suspect himself, but that Ardern did not get to see.
The attack started around 1:40 in the afternoon, when Tarrant walked into the Masjid Al Noor mosque and opened fire on people inside. Twenty minutes later, police would be confirming through social media that there was an “evolving situation” in Christchurch.
Following the police announcement, a number of schools in Christchurch went into lockdown and images of people covered in blood from the shootings were starting to emerge on social media—an occurrence that led to the world’s eyes to fix on New Zealand as the tragedy unfolded.
Around the world, the international Muslim community mourned. And the New Zealand tragedy itself led to various Islamophobic attacks. In London, for instance, a Muslim man was attacked with a hammer outside of an East London mosque as a group of men shouted Islamophobic slurs as they drove past him.
Tarrant recorded the first 17 minutes of the attack, starting with the drive to the Masjid Al Noor mosque, where he could be heard playing a traditional marching song of the British, and ending with the drive away. He live-streamed the video on Facebook, which made the footage circulate and spread throughout the web quickly.
Tarrant spent about six minutes at the Al Noor Mosque. There, he even returned to his car to reload his weapon and get a new rifle after running out of bullets. In the mosque, he shot attendees indiscriminately, as well as other civilians in the area as he drove away at high speed, heading in the direction of the Linwood Islamic Centre: his second target
In there, seven people were killed. According to a survivor, the gunman initially did not find the door to the mosque and shot people outside, alerting those still kneeled in prayer.
“That quiet Friday afternoon has become our darkest of days. But for the families, it was more than that,” said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday as she addressed parliament over the Christchurch shootings.
“It was the day that the simple act of prayer—of practicing their Muslim faith and religion—led to the loss of their loved ones’ lives. Those loved ones were brothers, daughters, fathers and children. They were New Zealanders. They are us,” she continued.
Since she first spoke out after the attacks, Ardern vowed to tighten gun laws. She said banning private ownership of semi-automatic rifles, which were used by the shooter in the attack, was an option, and on Thursday, the New Zealand government passed a new law that banned military-style-semi-automatic and assault rifles.
The first burials of victims were held on Wednesday in Christchurch, five days after the attacks. At a press conference Ardern said she “shared the frustration” of the families who had not been able to bury their loved ones, since some bodies are yet to be released by the police.
The youngest victim of the attack was three-year-old Mucaad Ibrahim, who was attending the Friday Prayer with his father and older brother. He was fatally shot as his father looked for him as the attack was unfolding. Four-year-old Abdullahi Dirie also died in the attack.
Currently, there are at least 50 victims left dead, and another 50 injured, including a four-year-old girl who recently underwent surgery.
“I have said many times Mr. Speaker, we are a nation of 200 ethnicities, 160 languages. We open our doors to others and say welcome,” said Jacinda Ardern on Monday. “And the only thing that must change after the events of Friday is that this same door must close on all of those who espouse hate and fear.”
