This thread went viral in the wake of the terrible attacks on two mosques in New Zealand which left 49 people dead and 48 injured.
New York Times writer Wajahat Ali went on Twitter to give some important (and terrifying) context not just to what happened in Christchurch but also what is going on around the world.
At the time of writing it’s been shared more than 16,000 times. Have a read and you’ll see why.
1.
Let me quickly explain why the Christchurch mosque shooting affects many of us, not just Muslim communities. If the shooter's manifesto and social media feed are accurate, he was inspired by a right wing ideological infrastructure that thrives, recruits and radicalizes online 1/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 15, 2019
2.
He wrote a manifesto, just like Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik. He cites right wing personalities and military battles glorified by white nationalists, such as the Siege of Vienna in 1863 – where Europe staved off Islam apparently. 2/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 15, 2019
3.
Like mass murderer Breivik, he wants to punish Muslims and immigrants for allegedly invading his soil, he wants to take revenge. Notice the language of “invasion” – does it sound familiar? It should. It’s used against immigrants and Muslims in America – 2018 midterms. 3/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 15, 2019
4.
He left behind a video, live streamed his rampage w/ a camera on his head, making it like first person video game DOOM. He shared it on social media sites. He wants to be known. He is a hero, a martyr, the one brave enough to do what others can’t to save “Western” civilization 4/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 15, 2019
5.
Compare his methods & alleged ideology to Quebec mosque shooter Alexandre Bissonnette, who killed 6. He was a white nationalist who loathed immigrants, refugees and Muslims. Christopher Hasson, a domestic terrorist, just caught, also wanted to kill Muslims, inspired by Breivik 5/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 15, 2019
6.
Compare this to the Tree of Life Synagogue shooter in Pittsburgh. He killed 11 Jewish worshippers. He shared a post on his Gad account about punishing “filthy evil Jews” for bringing in “filthy evil Muslims.” This was in reference to the Soros-caravan conspiracy theory. 6/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 15, 2019
7.
The underlining ideology anchoring all of this is White supremacy and their main fear is “replacement.” That the immigrants, Jews, blacks and Muslims will replace them, the Whites. Remember Charlottesville? “Jews will not replace us.” See Steve King’s tweets about babies 7/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 15, 2019
8.
Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief advisor, cites CAMP OF SAINTS as one of his favorite books. He recommends it. It’s a racist novel about brown immigrants “invading” and overtaking France. White natioanalists believe Jews are the head of the cabal who use the rest of us 8/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 15, 2019
9.
We are dealing with angry, disaffected men, mostly White, who find purpose & community with these extremist groups who give them a hero’s narrative through violent ideology of White supremacy. They are saving civilization by getting rid of the rest of us. It’s like White ISIS 9/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 15, 2019
10.
The victims are not just Muslims, but also Jews, immigrants, refugees, Blacks, Sikhs, Latinos & women (they really hate feminists). It’s a zero sum absolutism. No grey area. Just like ISIS. These groups are rising in the US & Europe. They have mainstream elected messengers. 10/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 15, 2019
11.
Pay attention. Take this extremist ideology & terror threat seriously. Be wary of politicians, academics & media heads who give it a platform and spout it under the guise of “free speech” and fighting “political correctness.” Look out for each other. Love each other. END.
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 15, 2019
And here’s just a few of the things people were saying about it.
This is great thread about the context for the horrible events in #Christchurch https://t.co/znmVy3dNwG
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) March 15, 2019
Thank you for these insightful tweets. I am an American living in Christchurch. When the mosque was spray painted after 9/11, the community said it wasn’t acceptable and cleaned it. We don’t accept hate. We embrace diversity. Lots of us are angry and sad.
— Scott Fack (@RealScottFack) March 15, 2019
The fact that Trump would tweet a link to Breitbart in the wake of the Christchurch shooting (on the same day he made a blatant fascist threat of violence by his own supporters) makes this thread even tougher to read: https://t.co/GTCpAJRgg0
— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) March 15, 2019
Excellent summary. The irony of a white Australian feeling this bitter hatred towards ‘all others’ for invading his land (apparently which also includes New Zealand) won’t be lost on anyone.
— Philip Harris (@Phil_HarrisArt) March 15, 2019
Please take time to read this.
Hate can induce terrorism.
So free speech can be dangerous.White nationalists terrorists are as dangerous as Al Qaeda ISIS and the likes. They have 1 thing in common. HATE. https://t.co/mWPhQtfUPF
— Ligwina Hananto (@mrshananto) March 15, 2019
I agree wholeheartedly with what you have said Wajahat. I am not a Muslim but having seen these videos I am absolutely horrified, scared and upset. I am in fear for the world I live in and that of which now I have brought a son into. This is pure evil. I pray for all affected.
— The Couch Pundit©️ (@couchpunditAU) March 15, 2019
This thread is so very important. ?
What @WajahatAli writes here is a reminder of how interconnected incel hate is: he lays it all out with such clarity.The #ChristchurchMosqueAttack is tragic as it is repugnant and we must all fight this #whitesupremacist hate. https://t.co/XHVGpixPD1
— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) March 15, 2019
Read all the threads. The warnings and predictions fill me with fear. There is a deep rooted hatred that is metastasizing through people like an aggressive cancer does through tissue.
— Jennifer (@jennifer_auh) March 15, 2019
Please read the entire thread, ESPECIALLY if you, like me, are a white man.
Our very identity is being weaponized for worldwide terrorism, without you or I involved at all, and the LEAST we can do is to make sure that kind of violence is worthy of the strictest punishment. https://t.co/7j8PcvkwkU
— Adam Jacobi (@Adam_Jacobi) March 15, 2019
