Christchurch Mosque to Host Friday Prayer a Week After Deadly Terror Attack
RESILIENCE
It’s hard to imagine a stronger show of defiance in the face of terror. Friday prayers will be held at Al Noor mosque in Christchurch exactly one week after an armed terrorist murdered 42 worshippers at the New Zealand site. The mosque’s religious leader, Imam Gamal Fouda, who survived the attack, said the move will show the world that Muslims and New Zealanders won’t let terrorists affect their way of life. “We are going to prayer here on Friday,” Fouda told the New Zealand Herald. “The majority of people, including myself, we decided to come and prayer close to our site. We will never forsake it to please those people who actually attacked us.” The imam of Linwood Mosque, which was also attacked, confirmed that his congregation will join the Friday prayer session at Al Noor. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced during a second visit to Christchurch since the attacks that a two-minute silence will be held Friday to commemorate the dead.