New Zealanders are being encouraged to wear headscarves on Friday to show their support for the Muslim community, one week on from the devastating Christchurch mosque attack which killed 50 people.
Several different groups are organising events for Friday March 22, inviting Kiwis of all religions to take part to show unity and solidarity.
The ‘Wear a Headscarf Friday’ group is aimed at women in the Christchurch region and has been supported by the New Zealand Muslim Association.’
So far thousands of people on Facebook have expressed interest in the events.
The #headscarfforharmony movement is another group hoping to ease the fears of Muslim women who feel they can’t go outside wearing a headscarf after last week’s terror attack.
Women are being invited to don a headscarf to work, school or play.
‘We want to show our love and support and grieve for the loss of 50 mothers, fathers, children, colleagues and friends after last Friday’s terrorist attack in Christchurch,’ the group says.
The idea started with Thaya Ashman, a Mt Eden DP, who’s been associated with Muslim communities since she volunteered as a doctor in Afghanistan.
‘It’s a simple invitation to the whole of New Zealand to show our support, but also to recognise our grief as New Zealanders,’ she told The AM Show.
The leaders of the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand have thrown their support behind the events, saying ‘the gesture of solidarity and support will be very much appreciated by our community’.
The president of the NZ Muslim Association, Ikhlaq Kashkari, called it a ‘wonderful idea’.
When Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited members of the Muslim community in Christchurch on Saturday, she donned a sombre black headscarf as she met with and comforted relatives of those killed and injured.
The Prime Minister has been commended around the world for her strong yet compassionate handling of the mosque massacre, which killed 50 worshippers last week.
Arden called for two minutes of silence on Friday, and mosques around Auckland have pledged to open their doors to people of all religions that evening.
