It started out a day like any other. Then the phone calls started coming, the breaking news was broadcast...\
In this episode, four women recall the horrifying afternoon they realised their husbands were caught in New Zealand's worst mass shooting.
<<< Previous Episode | Index | Next Episode >>>
Subscribe to Widows of Shuhada for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Photo: Photo / Janneth Gil
Seven months since the attack, Muhubo keeps to herself a lot more. She witnessed the atrocity of 15 March 2019, hearing the gunshots, seeing the bodies, and observing the suffering of the dying. Despite social-service support, she was not able to discuss the day of the attacks for several months.
Photo: Photo / Janneth Gil
Police protection at Al Noor Mosque continued for several months after the March attacks. Jumayah Jones, women's coordinator at the time of the attacks and the religious advisor for this series, discusses what happened that day with lead producer Lana Hart.
Photo: Photo / Janneth Gil
Farah holds a pendant: a special present from Atta that symbolises their never-ending love. This and Atta's wedding ring remain with Farah at all times. She says, "When God was making husbands, as far as I can see, he made a special soulmate, specially for me."
Photo: Photo / Janneth Gil
Neha says, "Here in New Zealand, I am living in peace, but when I am alone, I sometimes think about Faruk, and then I get angry."
Photo: Photo / Janneth Gil
In the women's area of Al Noor Mosque, dozens of women hovered as the massacre unfolded. Jumayah says the women "all ran off like a wind through the right side, the exit door, and through the gates to the main road, and they were safe ... because at that time, the killer had actually gone back inside the mosque."
[click here for more episodes]
Plains FM Photo: Plains FM
Widows of Shuhada was produced by community access radio Plains FM for RNZ. It follows four Muslim women widowed by the Christchurch mosque attacks who share their journeys through grief and take steps towards a different life.
| Twitter: @plainsfm |
Photo: RNZ/NZ On Air
