Khaled Mustafa had survived years of war and bloodshed in his native Syria. He and his family had endured the grim conditions of refugee camps in Jordan and finally found refuge in New Zealand last year. It was, said a family friend, supposed to be their "final safe haven". Instead, it is now the last resting place of Khaled and his 16-year-old son Hamza, who were both gunned down in the Christchurch massacre. What should have been a chance to rebuild their lives has become the scene of a family torn apart, with a mother and daughter left bereft, and another teenage son seriously injured. That heartrending story of hardship and suffering, ending at the hands of a hate-filled killer, was replicated dozens of times over on New Zealand's darkest day.
Many of the 50 victims of last Friday's murderous rampage had undertaken arduous journeys to create new lives in New Zealand, only for them to be cruelly cut short. Six of the dead were of Palestinian descent, among them Atta Elayyan, who had risen to the rank of goalkeeper for the New Zealand national futsal team. Daoud Nabi, a 71-year-old grandfather, had escaped violence in his native Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion, an experience that led him to dedicate his time to helping refugees feel welcome in their new home, even turning up at the airport to greet them. A pillar of the community, he had also founded a mosque and ran an Afghan association. Then there was Amjad Hamid, a Palestinian cardiac specialist, who devoted his life to saving others. Among these many stories is a common thread of naturalised citizens who, nonetheless, lost their lives to a violent hatred based solely on their "otherness".
Even if it rarely ends in such atrocity, this kind of prejudice is often part of the migrant story. It is in no way unique to New Zealand and is, in fact, familiar to millions around the world. If one positive can be drawn from the heartache of Christchurch, it is that confronting such bigotry appears to have united communities. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern opened a condolence book yesterday with the words: “On behalf of all New Zealanders we grieve, together we are one, they are us”. Earlier she had said of the victims: “They have chosen to make New Zealand their home and it is their home. They are us. The person who has perpetuated this violence against us is not.” Her words are a reminder that the narrative of “them” and “us” has to end, not just in New Zealand – a country that has flourished, thanks to the hard work of migrants from 120 nations – but around the world. Only then can we find the antidote to the poison of racism and religious hatred.
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The%20specs
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Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
Race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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