'Hello, brother': Muslim worshipper's 'last words' to gunman
A Muslim worshipper, who was among the first people to be killed in New Zealand's worst ever mass shooting, appeared to say "Hello, brother" to the attacker just moments before he was shot dead.
According to a live stream video of the attack, the man, who is yet to be identified, could be overheard saying "Hello, brother" as the gunman approached the entrance of the Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch.
At least 49 people, including children, were killed in Friday's attacks targeting the Al Noor and Linwood mosques. Police said on Saturday morning that 42 people were being treated for wounds following the "terrorist" attack. Two of them, including a four-year-old child, were in critical condition.
Video footage of the assault, which has been widely shared on social media, showed a gunman shooting indiscriminately at worshippers as they ran for safety or lay huddled on the floor.
A 28-year-old Australian man, who police have not identified, has been charged with murder. He is set to appear in court on Saturday.
'The reply was three bullets'
As the attack shocked New Zealand, a nation where violent crime is rare, several social media users hailed the Muslim man who greeted the attacker before he was murdered.
"'Hello, Brother' were the last words of the first New Zealand victim. As he faced a rifle, his last words were peaceful words of unconditional love. DO NOT tell me that nonviolence is weak or pacifism is cowardice," one Twitter user said.
"'Hello brother' a word came out of a pure soul filled with a peaceful faith. 'Hello brother' was said to a killer with a rifle pointed to this greeting. 'Hello brother' he said thinking that he is talking to a human with soul and feelings. 'Hello brother' was shot dead," another wrote.
"Hello brother and the reply was three bullets - Bi-ayyi thanbin qutilat (For what crime. She was killed) [Quran: 81, v9]," said another.
Aziz Helou, a resident of Melbourne, Australia, wrote on Facebook that "amongst the chaos of today, the evil we both heard and saw", that one incident stood out.
"The first Muslim man to die, his final words were 'hello brother'. These words were uttered by a man who symbolised Islam. He had a rifle pointed at him by a man with clear intentions to kill and how did he respond? With anger? With aggression? No, with the most gentle and sincere greeting of 'hello brother'.
"Perhaps this hero was trying to defuse the situation? Maybe Allah used this man to show the world the kindness that is Islam. I don't know but what I want, is to make certain, is that this detail isn't lost amongst you. That this mans final act was an Islamic one, a sincere courageous and warm way to stop violence instead of fuelling it".
Attack blamed on rising Islamophobia
In a social media video, former New Zealand rugby star Sonny Bill Williams gave a tearful tribute to those killed.
Williams, a practising Muslim, struggled to hold back tears in the 64-second Twitter post, telling families of those killed that "you are all in Paradise".
"I heard the news. I couldn't put it into words how I'm feeling right now," Williams said.
"Just sending my duas (prayers) to the families".
Before the attacks took place, the gunman reportedly published an Islamophobic manifesto on Twitter. He then live-streamed his rampage, according to an analysis by the AFP news agency.
Political leaders across the world condemned the killings, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan describing them as "the latest example of rising racism and Islamophobia".
The first victim of the terrorist attack in New Zealand is shown on the video greeting the gunman with “Hello Brother.”
— batoolmajedalfa (@batoolmajedalfa) March 15, 2019
Those were his last words.
Love in the face of hate. #El_terrorismo_no_tiene_religión #NewZealandTerroristAttack #حادث_نيوزيلاندا_الإرهابي pic.twitter.com/MFuXbYetym
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan also blamed the attacks on rising Islamophobia.
"I blame these increasing terror attacks on the current Islamophobia post-9/11 where Islam and 1.3 billion Muslims have collectively been blamed for any act of terror by a Muslim," said Khan.
"This has been done deliberately to also demonise legitimate Muslim political struggles."
courtesy : www.aljazeera.com
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
