New Zealand PM to Pay Respect to Fijians Killed in Christchurch Mosque Attack

TEHRAN (IQNA) – As part of her visit to Fiji, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will pay her respects to the three Fijians who were killed in the Christchurch mosques terror attack in March last year.

Two consecutive terrorist shooting attacks occurred at two mosques in Christchurch during a Friday prayer.

Fifty-eight-year-old Ashraf Ali Razat of Narere, Imam Hafiz Musa Patel of Lautoka and Ashraf Ali were among the fifty-one who were killed in the shooting carried out by 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant.

During her three-day trip, Ardern will meet with Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, address students at the University of the South Pacific and meet Fijian women leaders in government, business and civil society.

It will be the first time a NZ Prime Minister has visited Fiji in four years and comes during the 50th anniversary of Fiji’s independence.

Fiji, a country in the South Pacific, is an archipelago of more than 300 islands.

The Muslims of Fiji comprise approximately 7 percent of the population (62,534). The Muslim community is made up of people of Indian origin, descendants of indentured laborers who were brought to the islands in the late 19th century by the British colonialist rulers of the time.