Kaya Gravitter

I’m sickened by what happened at the Christ Church New Zealand Mosque shooting. Some non-Muslims, Australian Senator, Fraser Anning, as an example to be just one of the many people on social media and Twitter that keep justifying and saying it’s Islam’s fault. How could this be the fault of Islam? The guy is not a Muslim but a white nationalist and a Christian. Am I ignorant enough to say all Christians and white people are terrorists, like so many people do to Muslims? No, and he even posted all over social media the manifesto of his intentions and even live streamed the mass murder. How much more proof do you need that this is not the fault of Islam?

I just want me and other Muslims to have the chance to mourn. But how can we, when we are expected, even after people of my faith have been brutally killed, to have to stick up for ourselves. Who will stand up and stick up for us?

Friends, family, society, and Muslim allies, what if it was me? How would you feel? I or my community could be the next people targeted. Do you think I deserve to be killed because I believe in one God, the God of Jesus, Moses, and Abraham and that I pray to God differently than you? Though when I pray I prostrate to God, just like the bible said Jesus did.

How many more hate crimes and deaths do Muslims have to go through? 49 Muslims were brutally killed today. I will never understand why white people/Christians do not have to condemn when a white person shoots up a mosque, black majority church, commit a hate crime, or rapes someone. I stick up and speak out anytime any minority or any race is targeted and innocent lives are lost. But why am I even writing this letter? Why do I feel like I have to write this letter but no white person or Christian is expected to condemn this attack?  Society has let minorities to be alienated and given minorities the mindset like all of the problems of the world are their fault.

Though trauma and discrimination may surround me, like other Muslim writers and journalists, this is why I will never stop writing or being a journalist. I will not let anyone silence my voice. I must and will continue to write for minorities and Muslims. Our voices need to be heard.

Also a note to the media outlets who do not want to label the mass shooter of that New Zealand Mosque as a terrorist, you are in the wrong. People need to start calling ALL mass shooters, terrorists. Just look in a dictionary for the definition or better yet, I will share the definition here for you. If you do not believe my definition look on the United States FBI website.

According to the FBI,

International terrorism defines as one who is perpetrated by individuals and/or groups inspired by or associated with designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations (state-sponsored). Domestic terrorism defines as one who is perpetrated by individuals and/or groups inspired by or associated with primarily U.S.-based movements that espouse extremist ideologies of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.

The media and the world need to stop it with the hypocrisy and double standards. Muslims have every right to live on this earth as anyone else. We are all humans.

*I know all rights to this article and the photo in the article*