This Was Slaughter By Appointment: Muslim Broadcaster On New Zealand Attack

In his emotional on air message, the Muslim journalist said, “I’m gutted and I’m scared. And I feel overcome with utter hopelessness.”

Christchurch (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 16th March, 2019) Australian broadcast Waleed Aly gave a heartfelt message following the mosque attacks in New Zealand.

“You’ll have to forgive me, these won’t be my best words…” the broadcaster began.

In his emotional on air message, the Muslim journalist said, “I’m gutted and I’m scared. And I feel overcome with utter hopelessness.”

“The most dishonest thing would be to say that I’m shocked. I’m simply not,” he added.

Waleed Aly hosts ‘The Project’ on Channel 10 Australia.

Speaking on his show, he said the attacks in Christchurch that killed at least 49 people cannot be addressed in a vacuum.

He went on to list attacks in recent years in places of worship, saying that this kind of violence has come to be expected in a climate of hate that many political leaders build up and manipulate rather than stop.

“If we’re honest, we’ll know this has been coming,” he said.

Aly said he was at a mosque earlier on Friday, as he does every Friday, sharing he knows “exactly what those moments before the shooting began would have been like”.

He said that Brenton Tarrant specifically chose that time, knowing “well enough how profoundly defenceless their victims were in that moment.”

“This was slaughter by appointment,” he said.

The Australian journalist concluded that anything individuals do to fuel the fire of hate makes them responsible for the tragedy generated, adding that despite the horror, he and “millions of other Muslims” will continue to attend Mosque as usual.

New Zealand was struck by two deadly attacks in Christchurch on Friday, with 49 people killed and another 20 seriously injured after gun assaults on mosques as Muslims worshipped.

During afternoon prayers on Friday, a gunman opened fire inside the Masjid al Noor mosque in central Christchurch, killing 41. Another seven were killed at a second mosque five kilometres away in suburban Linwood, three of them outside the building.

Australian national Brenton Harrison Tarrant was charged with murder over the fatal shootings in two mosques.

Tarrant had anti-Muslim and anti-migrant views and also expressed admiration for Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik.