LIVIN G CHAPLAINCY
The gift of difference We have been through an extremely difficult time in New Zealand in the past weeks. The events of Friday 15 March have changed our country forever and we have, in some ways, become like any other country in the world where the violence of terrorist attacks has been felt. And yet, there is something about the response that has been seen here in our own country that sets us apart. It has been interesting to watch our Prime Minister and other top-level politicians as they have navigated their way through this extremely delicate and potentially divisive time in a very dignified and deeply caring way. There has been an outpouring of love towards the Muslim communities in this country, and particularly in Christchurch. This is, of
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course, very appropriate and I hope and pray that it is an indicator of some real change that will endure into the future. The attack has given us all a lot to think about in terms of how we each see one another, where our own privilege or disadvantage is, and where our prejudices are evident. On 15 March and in following days, such a wave of love washed over the Muslims who live in New Zealand. This was evidenced by the vast numbers of flowers and other tributes that were left outside the two mosques in Christchurch, and mosques in other cities across the country. I wonder if that sense of love was there on 14 March, or if it actually took such a tragedy for us all to think about how we view and treat
people who are different from ourselves, to realise that at our most basic level, we are all just human beings trying to live meaningful lives, who love and are loved, who contribute to society. It was interesting to see the variety of opinions about the Muslim call to prayer that was broadcast across the country – many seeing it as a sign of respect, but others seeing it as a threat to all that this nation stands for. It was very apparent in some of the opinion pieces written about it that the writers come from very different backgrounds and understandings about God. Some expressing the belief that the God of Islam and the God of Christianity are two very different beings and
