New Zealand on Friday remembered the 51 victims who died in an anti-Muslim terrorist attack on a mosque and an Islamic center in Christchurch on March 15, 2019.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins in a joint statement expressed their deepest sympathy and paid respect to those killed in the attacks.
"March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity," said Prime Minister Luxon.
"Today, we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada – the martyrs who were unjustly targeted for their beliefs, and to those who were injured," he added.
On March 15, 2019, Brenton Tarrant, an Australian white supremacist, killed 51 people and injured 40 more at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch city.
He was sentenced to life in prison in 2020 without the possibility of parole, in the first such ruling ever handed down in the island country.
Later, the government formed a Royal Commission of Inquiry to find out whether there were any failings by government agencies in the Christchurch mosque attack.
The 792-page report, which took about 18 months to compile, had identified deficiencies in the firearms licensing system, as well as "inappropriate concentration of resources" on the part of security agencies.
It had made a list of recommendations, including changes to how firearms are managed, establishing a new national intelligence and security agency and a proposal for the police to better identify and respond to hate crimes.
However, Muslims living in the country still complain of facing hate more than ever before.
"We're less than 1% of the New Zealand population but the police data shows Muslim women experience slightly over one-third of the daily hate going on in the nation," Radio New Zealand (RNZ) quoted Aliya Danzeisen, Islamic Women's Council national coordinator, as saying.
Promise of safer country
Danzeisen criticized the government for its failure to fulfill its promises to make the island country safer for Muslims.
"If you're looking at what failed, the only difference is in the firearms space," Danzeisen said.
She added that despite Royal Commission recommendations, the government has not implemented all recommendations as key issues related to hate speech laws and the establishment of a new national intelligence and security agency are still waiting to be implemented.
However, Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins said that people in New Zealand should be able to go about their lives without fear.
"We will ensure we’ve learned the lessons from the Royal Commission of Inquiry and made the necessary changes. The government is committed to keeping all New Zealanders safe and secure," Collins said.