Lessons from Christchurch

In the wake of the New Zealand mass shooting, which took 50 lives, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, is handling the tragedy in a way that few leaders have done before. As a nation in constant struggle with gun violence, there’s a lot we can learn from, and reflect upon, in regards to the Christchurch shooting.

Mass shootings come as no surprise to Americans as we’ve witnessed dozens in the past several years from the Orlando shooting at a gay nightclub to the Parkland school shooting. Gun violence becomes a hot topic when another shooting occurs, but the issue always remains stuck in rhetoric and never makes it to meaningful legislation. Prime Minister Arden, however, has responded to the attack with immediate action, including several proposals to reform the country’s existing gun laws.

But more importantly, Ms. Ardern is being praised for approaching the incident with sympathy and love. Labeling the shooting as an act of terror and extremism, the New Zealand leader is focusing on addressing the ideologies underlying the incident, rather than just blaming the shooter himself. In fact, Ms. Ardern comforted the victims’ families while wearing a black scarf that covered her head, which is a small, but remarkable, gesture since Muslim headwear unfortunately holds immense stigma in Western countries.

Meanwhile, President Trump sent out his condolences in a plain tweet that failed to explicitly mention his sympathy with the global Muslim community. In a recent interview, Trump asserted his view that white supremacy is “not a rising threat,” but the New Zealand shooting and much evidence proves otherwise. A recent Washington Post article notes that “A February report released by the Southern Poverty Law Center found 1,020 hate groups across the United States in 2018 — an all-time high — as well as an increase in the death toll… with white supremacists in the United States and Canada killing at least 40 people.” Islamophobia and white supremacy are dangerous threats, not just to the United States or New Zealand, but to our increasingly connected world.

We cannot allow more malicious shootings to simply come and go on the news headlines. We must combat the bigotry and prejudice with both law enforcement and cultural change. We must come together and embrace our Muslim brothers and sisters. Hate has no home here, and it never will. Let us remember the lost victims of the New Zealand shooting as we build a new bridge of love and cultural understanding within our communities. We should also look to New Zealand and their leadership as a model of how to handle these tragedies. Sadly our country and our President are not.