Racism and intolerance have no place in our societies
There has been an increase in alt-right/white supremacist terrorist attacks in the past few years. The 2015 shooting at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina, left nine dead; the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting killed six; in the 2018 shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, 11 died. Now the most heinous attack since Anders Breivik killed 77 people in Norway in July 2011 has taken place in Christchurch, New Zealand, where Brenton Tarrant modelled his attacks on Breivik’s vile endeavor.
Our hearts, prayers and condolences go out to the victims of this terrible crime, and to their families. New Zealand is a haven of peace and tolerance in an increasingly polarised and intolerant world. This is precisely why Brenton Tarrant chose Christchurch. He wanted to show that nowhere was safe.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tarrant’s extremist views had “absolutely no place in New Zealand, and no place in the world.” Most world leaders were equally quick to condemn the shooting.
We should take heart that global leaders understand that terrorism inflicted by the right is just as unacceptable as attacks from other sources. However, we cannot deny that global attention focuses much more on Daesh, Al-Qaeda and other extremist Muslim groups or individuals than on people who are radicalised by other forces.
Tarrant had not been flagged by counter-terrorism officials in either New Zealand or Australia. The world’s police and spy agencies focus on Islamist terrorists — especially now that Daesh has all but lost its “caliphate.” This means many of its displaced fighters will roam the world with bad intentions. Terrorist groups never really go away. They morph into something else. Daesh offshoots in North Africa and Sinai, and Al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula, prove that point. Nevertheless, this does not absolve law enforcement from looking at all potential terrorist threats, whatever their origin; they all endanger peaceful societies.
There must never be polite silence when dealing with racism or religious hatred. It is upon all of us to stand up and be counted. Only when these sentiments become unacceptable to all, can we eradicate them. Jacinda Ardern is right: these extremist views have no place anywhere in the world.
Cornelia Meyer
Social media clearly have a role to play, because so many terrorists became radicalised online; from the right, from the left, or by extremist religious groups. Facebook, Google and Twitter must beef up their manpower to deal with these issues. They also need to look at algorithms that can prevent the spread of extremist propaganda. That Tarrant’s webcam was allowed to stream on Facebook during the attack before the footage was taken down is simply not acceptable. Social media gives us access to many good things. It made the world a much more horizontal place, where everybody is given the space to express their views. Thanks to Facebook, Twitter etc, we now all have a voice. That is great as long as we use it responsibly and respectfully. There should be no place for racial, religious or any other form of intolerance.
Lastly, there are our own societies. Ever since 9/11 Islamophobia has been on the rise in the West. Some of it is ignorance about the religion, but most of it is far more sinister. Europe has seen the rise of populist forces whose ideology is geared against everything and everyone that is, in their warped view, alien to a particular country and its culture. These forces have increasingly gained voice in America too. The protagonists are against immigration, and they fear refugees. The rise of these movements has changed the political discourse in Western democracies. Statements that would have been unacceptable only a few years ago have become commonplace. Anti-semitism is on the rise. Newspapers and broadcasters have started to highlight this issue (CNN recently aired an excellent series on the rise of anti-semitism in Europe). The situation is far worse when it comes to Islamophobia. There has not been sufficient focus on the issue. The writer of this article is a middle-aged white woman, which fools many in believing she is “one of them.” This is probably why many more people open up to me about their views on Islam than if my name were Selima Ahmed rather than Cornelia Meyer. I have gone in to bat against Islamophobic statements and beliefs wherever and whenever I encounter them — often to the bewilderment of some around me. The very fact that people are surprised is an indication of just how entrenched this problem is.
There must never be polite silence when dealing with racism or religious hatred. It is upon all of us to stand up and be counted. Only when these sentiments become unacceptable to all, can we eradicate them. Jacinda Ardern is right: these extremist views have no place anywhere in the world.
• Cornelia Meyer is a business consultant, macro-economist and energy expert.
Twitter: @MeyerResources
