Iran reacts to the deadly terrorist attack against Muslims in New Zealand

Tabnak – Friday’s deadly terrorist attack in New Zealand against Muslims has sparked condemning reactions from different countries around the world. While attributing the attack to the growing wave of Islamophobia in the West, Iran has called for an emergency session of the Organization of Islamic Countries.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi strongly condemned the Friday terrorist attacks on two mosques in New Zealand that left at least 49 people dead, calling for punishing those behind the “racist” and “savage” move.

In a statement on Friday, the spokesman deplored the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch as “inhumane and totally savage”.

“Every terrorist act, wherever and by anyone and under any pretext and incentive, should be condemned by all countries," Qassemi said, adding, "Governments should not allow racist and anti-Islamic currents and thoughts to endanger the security and peace of the citizens of the countries.” The Iranian spokesman further called on the New Zealand government to identify and punish culprits behind the racist move.

Separately, in a Friday tweet, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif cited Trump’s Islamophobic remarks, and lashed out at the “Western hypocrisy of defending demonization of Muslims as ‘freedom of expression’.”

“Impunity in Western 'democracies' to promote bigotry leads to this: Israeli thugs enter mosque in Palestine to insult Muslims; terrorists in NZ livestream their murder of 49 Muslims. Western hypocrisy of defending demonization of Muslims as 'freedom of expression' MUST end,” he said.

Zarif has also called for an emergency session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). In a Friday telephone conversation with Mevlut Cavusoglu, the foreign minister of Turkey, as the OIC's rotating president, Zarif urged Muslim countries to show a "proper reaction" to the terrorist attacks on two mosques in New Zealand that killed at least 49 worshippers and wounded dozens during Friday prayers.

At least one gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 40 during Friday prayers at two New Zealand mosques in the country’s worst ever mass shooting, which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned as terrorism.

A gunman broadcast livestream footage on Facebook of the attack on one mosque in the city of Christchurch, mirroring the carnage played out in video games, after publishing a “manifesto” in which he denounced immigrants, calling them “invaders”.

New Zealand was placed on its highest security threat level, Ardern said, adding that “this can now only be described as a terrorist attack”. Police said three people were in custody including one man in his late 20s who had been charged with murder.