New Zealand probe into mosque shooting blames focus on Takfirism

An investigation of shooting attacks at two mosques in New Zealand last year has found that the country’s security agencies were “almost exclusively” overwhelmed by the threat of Takfiri terrorism and missed that of a white supremacist gunman behind the horrific attacks, which claimed the lives of 51 Muslim worshipers.

An 800-page report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry released on Tuesday said the intelligence agencies had been too focused on the threat posed by Takfirism at the expense of other threats, including white supremacy.

The report said there had been an “inappropriate concentration of resources towards Islamic terrorism" -- a term used by Western propaganda outlets in reference to Takfiri ideology, a radical extremist school of thought that is wrongly associated with Islam, and is denounced by Muslim scholars and people as an effort to distort the image of the religion.

The Royal Commission also decried police for failing to enforce proper checks when granting a firearms license to the assailant, Australian national Brenton Tarrant.

On March 15, 2019, Tarrant opened fire on Muslim worshipers attending prayers at two mosques in Christchurch. He live-streamed parts of the shooting rampage on Facebook.

Shortly before the terrorist attacks, Tarrant had published an ideological “manifesto” filled with extreme views in which he described Muslim immigrants to Europe as “invaders.”

But despite the faults, the report found no issues within government agencies that would have prevented the massacre.

The report prompted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to apologize.

“The commission made no findings that these issues would have stopped the attack. But these were both failings and for that I apologize,” she said.

Gamal Fouda, the Imam of al-Noor Mosque, condemned the report, saying it showed “institutional prejudice and unconscious bias” existed in government agencies.

The Islamic Women’s Council also said in a statement, “We find it concerning that the Commissioners found systemic failures and an inappropriate concentration of resources” on Takfiri terrorism, “and yet state that these would not have made a difference to the terrorist being detected prior to the event.”

Authorities in New Zealand were at the time slammed for turning a blind eye to repeated warnings from the Muslim community that hate crimes against them were escalating.

According to the report, Tarrant was “socially isolated” and trained for the assault in New Zealand by practicing shooting at a rifle club, working out at a gym, and taking steroids to bulk up.

In August, Tarrant was given a life without parole for the attack, which also injured dozens of people.

The report proposed 44 recommendations, all of which were accepted by the government.

They included tightening firearm licensing laws, setting-up a new national intelligence and security agency, and appointing a minister to coordinate the government’s response.

The government said it would make changes so police can better record and respond to hate crime.

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