Another day and another unnecessary attack. It is as simple as that. At least 49 innocent people have been killed in New Zealand for no reason but the religion they believe in. We have fallen into a world of endless violence. There is, of course, no way for me to know exactly what was going through the heads of these terrorists that attacked the two mosques but what I do know is violence will lead to nothing but more violence. The man that attacked the mosque live streamed for 17 minutes on Facebook and that video is now spreading like wildfire. I firmly believe we should not spread that video (just as the Prime Minister of New Zealand is asking) as that is exactly what he wanted.

One of the attackers involved in today’s attack had posted a long anti-immigration and anti-muslim manifesto online. Although the manifesto is unsigned, it is still likely that of the primary attacker. None of these innocent people did anything to these attackers but only exist and believe in a different religion from them. These people were just simply innocent people praying. Men, women and children, nobody was spared. The attackers were inspired by the constant anti-immigration and anti-muslim rhetoric spreading around the world. For some reason, terror attacks committed by Muslims receive 357% more media attention. This causes some people out there to discriminate against others that are or perceived to be Muslim.

“The disparity in media coverage is particularly out of sync with the reality given that white and rightwing terrorists carried out nearly twice as many terrorist attacks as Muslim extremists between 2008 and 2016.” – The Guardian 

This type of rhetoric and Islamaphobia has gotten a lot worse since 2016 to the extent that many politicians are now openly speaking this same rhetoric in public settings and during rallies. When attacks like this are carried out they act as if it is not an act of terror but something we should have been seen coming. This is revolting because those people who are meant to lead our countries are essentially encouraging acts of violence. One Australian senator actually blamed immigration for this attack in a public statement.

“Muslims, may have been the victims today; usually they are the perpetrators.” “The real cause of bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place.” – Fraser Anning

Furthermore, religious extremists, no matter what religion they claim is theirs are always disconnected from the religion. These extremists are just that, extremists. The only religion and cause they are a part of is terrorism. All religions are supposed to be about peace, not murdering innocent humans that have different beliefs. What makes this worse is when people decide to take things a step further and commit horrendous acts like the one committed yesterday. How do you think terror groups will respond to this? They will use this as an excuse to inspire fear and recruit more people to their cause. They will use this as a reason to carry out even more attacks in the future. It is a never-ending circle where one act of violence will lead to another one. Let’s break the cycle! While we can’t stop people from committing these horrendous acts we can control our own behaviour. Don’t treat someone differently just because of who they are or where they come from. Treat others as you would want to be treated. Call out the politicians and definitely vote against those that encourage this type of hate. The colour of someone’s skin, their religion, sexual orientation or gender are just a small part of who that person is. Why do so many people forget something so important? We are all, in the end, one race, we are humans. So for the future of mankind, treat others with kindness and remember that violence only inspires more violence.

Sources: CNN Live; The Guardian