New Zealand’s Moroccan Community Grapples with Aftermath of Mosque Attacks

Taoufiq El Idrissi, a Moroccan businessman who has been living in New Zealand for 21 years, says: "All New Zealanders, including members of the Moroccan community, are in a state of shock. No one is close to forgetting this terrible day." According to him, this attack was a total surprise: "We left our doors open in a country at the other end of the world where we thought we were far from all the evils of the world. We were far from believing that the devil could be among us." The life of Muslims and Moroccans in New Zealand would have even changed completely, according to El Idrissi: "Our life in this country has changed this Friday. The peaceful life has given way to anxiety and fear. We need time and a lot of courage to overcome this ordeal."

Ahmed Belghachi, for his part, was only a few kilometers from the Al-Noor mosque at the time of the attack: "I was working at the bank when we received the terrible news of the terrorist attack. As the procedures provide, the offices were closed. No one is allowed to enter or leave. We were stuck until 7pm." Ahmed is a manager and has been in New Zealand for 20 years. He says: "Members of the Muslim community feel an anxiety they have never known in New Zealand. The peace that prevailed in this peaceful country is no more."

Moussa Bouray, the young Moroccan doctoral student who had the misfortune to be an eyewitness to the terrorist attack, declared: "On my arrival at Masjid Al-Noor and as I was trying to park my car, I heard several gunshots and I saw a crowd of people running in all directions." According to him, in addition to the gunshots, incessant cries and screams could be heard. Bouray describes: "I had just dropped off my wife in front of the mosque to find a parking space. She took refuge for more than an hour in a neighboring building." Same story about the change: "It was a real nightmare. We will need time to forget this tragedy."

A Moroccan tour guide, Adil Bennani, who has been living in New Zealand since 2007, says that it is not just the Muslims who are affected: "The day after the terrorist attacks, the faces changed and the smiles that were on the lips of the New Zealanders disappeared. These are moments of national mourning." Even though there were no Moroccans among the direct victims, the Moroccans were deeply affected according to Bennani: "We lost dear friends in these attacks, who have left widows and orphans."