INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightReutersImage caption
The burials have been delayed because of the identification process
A father and son from Syria have been buried in the first funerals for those killed in the New Zealand mosque shootings that left 50 people
dead.Khaled Mustafa, 44, and Hamza, 16, came as refugees to New Zealand last year.Islamic tradition calls for bodies to be buried as soon as
possible, but the burials have been delayed by the scale of the identification process.Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a self-described
white supremacist, has been charged with murder Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Zaid Mustafa attended the
funeral of his father and brother in a wheelchair
Hundreds of mourners gathered at a cemetery near the Linwood Islamic
Centre in Christchurch on Wednesday, one of two places of worship targeted in the attacks that took place last Friday.The two victims, who
were killed at the Al-Noor mosque, came as refugees from Syria with their family
Khaled leaves behind a wife and a younger teenage son who was also injured in the attack
Zaid Mustafa attended the funeral in a wheelchair
"I shouldn't be standing in front of you
I should be lying beside you," the son and younger brother of the two said according to bystanders cited by AFP
A large marquee had been set up so relatives and friends were able to spend time with their dead before they were buried.More funerals are
expected later on Wednesday
Victims of the Christchurch shootingsFifty people lost their lives in the shootings at two mosques in the city
All bodies to be releasedPolice on Wednesday named six of the victims of the shootings at the Al Noor mosque and hoped to release all 50
bodies to the families by the end of the day
All post-mortem examinations were complete, police said.Yet some families expressed frustration with the delayed identification process
Mohamed Safi, 23, whose father Matiullah Safi died at the Al Noor mosque, complained about the lack of information.He told AFP: "They are
just saying they are doing their procedures Why do I not know what you are going through to identify the body"Police Commissioner Mike Bush
said authorities had to prove the cause of death to establish for the courts to treat it as murder."You cannot convict for murder without
that cause of death," he said
"So this is a very comprehensive process that must be completed to the highest standard."Image:A comic is asking searching questions about
race relations in the wake of the attackPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced two minutes of silence on Friday, 22 March which is the
Muslim day of prayer and will mark one week since the shooting
There will also a broadcast of the Islamic call to prayer on national TV and radio on Friday
On Wednesday, Ms Ardern visited Cashmere High School, which lost pupils Sayyad Milne and Hamza Mustafa, and former student Tariq Omar, in
She asked students to help her rid New Zealand of racism and reiterated her call "never to mention the perpetrator's name never remember
him for what he did".Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Jacinda Ardern received a hug from a student when she
visited Cashmere High School
School Principal Mark Wilson said the impact of the attack had been "particularly cruel and
tough" for pupils, staff and parents.New Zealanders hand in gunsFollowing an appeal by Ms Ardern, some New Zealanders have begun handing in
weapons.John Hart, a farmer in the North Island district of Masterton, posted on Twitter he had given his semi-automatic rifle to police to
be destroyed.His post drew a lot of support but also a wave of abusive messages to his Facebook page from many gun owners, particularly in
the US where the pro-gun lobby is particularly strong.New Zealand police said they were still gathering information on how many weapons had
been handed in, Radio New Zealand reported.Ms Ardern on Monday announced the nation's gun laws would be reformed in the wake of the attack
Details of the plans are expected within days
On Wednesday she said "we have a large number of loopholes in our laws
Many New Zealanders would be astounded to know you can access military style weapons."The country's hunting lobby said it backed reforms,
calling for a ban on military-style semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines.
