Heroics Down under
By Mowahid Hussain Shah

 

Western opinion-makers often conflate Muslims with terror. In doing so, Muslims in their midst predictably bear the brunt of their diatribe. Inevitably, those who get caught in the crossfire are the unconnected and most apolitical, either in schools, workplace, or in daily routine. Missing from the big picture is the extent to which Muslims themselves have been targets of terror, whether in West or East.

Far from the madding crowd, remote benign New Zealand was violently catapulted into global focus when, on March 15, 2019, two Christchurch mosques were attacked by an Australian terrorist. The admirable New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, on December 15, 2021, gave two Muslims New Zealand’s highest award, the New Zealand Cross, the bravery equivalent of Great Britain’s Victoria Cross for gallantry.

According to the Christchurch Press of December 16, 2021, protecting others who were trying to escape from Al-Noor Mosque through a small window and door, Dr Naeem Rashid, originally from Pakistan, ran at the terrorist as he was firing, colliding with him and knocking him down. The terrorist regained his footing and fatally shot Dr Rashid but not before at least 7 people were able to escape. The award citation recognized Dr Rashid’s “great courage and bravery in challenging the gunman” and saving others “at the cost of his own life.”

At the Linwood mosque attack, Abdul Aziz ran after the terrorist, ducking bullets, picked up his discarded rifle, and yelled at him to get his attention. Seeing Aziz with the rifle, the terrorist abandoned the attack and ran to his car, driving off. The award recognized Mr Aziz’s “brave actions” which “ultimately forced the gunman to flee.”

Another New Zealand Muslim, Ajaz Yunus Patel, rode into immortality on December 4, 2021, by taking all 10 wickets in a Test innings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai alongside the Arabian Sea. This is only the third time this rare feat has occurred since Test cricket started 144 years ago, in 1877, at Melbourne. Ajaz finished the match with 14/225 – the best bowling figure in a Test match against India.

Under trying circumstances, Ajaz, his parents, and two sisters, left Mumbai for New Zealand in 1996, where the devout Muslim now lives with his wife, Nilofer. Former New Zealand captain, Dan Vettori, termed it “the greatest individual feat in New Zealand history.” That Ajaz accomplished this in his birthplace, Mumbai, is, to cite a line Humphrey Bogart used in the movie, “Maltese Falcon”: “the stuff of dreams.”

Bollywood movies are prone to pander to Hindutva at the helm. Could a Bollywood screenplay have scripted this unbelievable comic-book fantasy? Ajaz has irrevocably stamped the presence of Muslims Down Under – they are there to stay. This was done with Indian umpires, on an Indian ground, and before an Indian crowd. It is the only such performance on an away Test match.

It is faintly reminiscent of the hit 2014 Helen Mirren movie, “The Hundred-Foot Journey” wherein a Muslim restauranteur family fled riot-stricken Mumbai and found fame and fortune in France.

Muslims in New Zealand have yet to hit the 100,000 mark, while Muslims in America are now approximately 10,000,000. Yet, in effect, they remain mired in misdirected priorities keeping them collectively under-resourced, with negligible presence in zones of influence.

The heroics Down Under is a salutary lesson. Weakness is not respected.