LAHORE: Pakistani-born Ambreen Naeem, who lost her husband Naeem Rashid and son Talha three years ago in a New Zealand mosque attack, is now devoting time to propagate peace and teachings of Islam.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency coinciding the third anniversary of the terrorist attack at mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand, which is being observed on Tuesday, Naeem said she has been helping victims of the horrible incident.
“The Whanau Trust was established by the government to help the victims of that horrible incident. This year, we observed Islamic awareness week from March 5-14 in which we conducted seminars and workshops to help people understand true values of Islam,” she said.
Recalling the incident, Naeem told Anadolu Agency on the phone from Christchurch that she was traumatised after learning the incident, but was hopeful that her husband and son will be safe.
“It was a regular Friday for us and Rashid was asking who will pick them up after the prayer … He was always in the mosque before the Friday congregation,” she said.
“When I got to know about the attack I was traumatised and hoped that my husband and my son will either be safe or just injured. But at night when we went to the hospital and couldn’t find their names on the list of the injured, we knew that we had lost them.”
The attacker was arrested shortly afterwards when he tried to escape from the crime scene. Based on the manifesto he had published online before the attack, the media reports described him as a white supremacist.
“The media has a huge responsibility when it comes to the portrayal of negative characters. By showing Muslims the villain or terrorist, they are creating and sowing hate in the minds of people against our community. To counter that image, we have started educating people about Holy Quran and Islam,” said Naeem.
Bravery award
The attacker live-streamed his acts in the mosque in which it can be seen that Rashid was trying to stop him even after getting injured. That gave time to others to escape.
“For his bravery the government awarded him … all his life my husband stood up for his values and always helped the people. My son, who was with him at that time, was also very brave and kind,” she said.
Rashid, along with his family, moved to New Zealand from Lahore in 2011 to pursue a doctorate.
After the attack, the family stayed in the island country and decided to serve Rashid’s legacy and spread awareness about their religion.
“I am living with my two sons at the moment … after Rashid, I have to be there for them,” said Naeem.
“He always told me: ‘If you face any difficulty always turn to the Holy Quran and ask Allah to guide you.’ Now one of my sons has graduated in engineering, and the youngest one is still studying. I went to Lahore once, but could not visit again due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
Even as the attacker was convicted and sentenced for life, Naeem said attacks on Muslims have not stopped.
“Many people are doing this to just get the media’s attention. I want to give a message to people living in Western countries to be role models for people and be ambassadors of our religion and countries. This is our responsibility as a Muslim,” she said.
