Hate and the Christchurch Shooting

Last night in Christchurch, New Zealand, a lone gunman stormed two mosques, killing 49 and wounding dozens more. The attacks, which were deemed to be meticulously planned, occurred during afternoon prayer at locations 5 miles kilometers apart, and the victims hailed from Muslim communities the world over. Muslims in Christchurch speak of a tight-knit community—there are only 40,000 Muslims in the entire nation of New Zealand—with a diaspora of worshippers and community members whose origins range from Malaysia to Syria to Palestine.

This attack is abominable and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. What is not, however, is isolated, anomalous, or in any way a break from alarming trends that have manifested themselves all over the world. The virulent Islamophobia that inspired this vile attack is unfortunately on the rise, egged on and empowered by the xenophobic right-wing populists who have used the most powerful positions in countries from Brazil to Turkey to our own United States to preach messages of hate.

I remember just months ago, when the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh was mourning a similar tragedy. To some degree, I know the fear, the anger, the sadness that my Muslims brothers and sisters are feeling right now. I felt it, too. And unfortunately, the two despicable acts of terror that caused these two tragedies are inextricably linked.