Honoring the victims of the March 15, 2019, shootings at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Subjects: International Affairs


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 250 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 250

  Honoring the victims of the March 15, 2019, shootings at mosques in 
                       Christchurch, New Zealand.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 23, 2023

Ms. Omar (for herself, Mr. Carson, Mr. Higgins of New York, Mrs. Watson 
Coleman, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Garcia of Texas, 
  Mr. Vargas, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Payne, Ms. Crockett, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. 
Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Tonko, 
       Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms. Norton, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. 
Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Connolly, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr. Sherman, Mr. 
  Casar, and Mr. Frost) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Honoring the victims of the March 15, 2019, shootings at mosques in 
                       Christchurch, New Zealand.

Whereas, on March 15, 2019, a White supremacist armed with military-style 
        semiautomatic weapons stormed the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic 
        Center indiscriminately shooting and murdering 51 children, women, and 
        men and injuring 40 others during Jumu'ah prayer in Christchurch, New 
        Zealand;
Whereas the entire attack seemed to be orchestrated for social media as the 
        gunman livestreamed parts of the terrorist attack on social media for 17 
        minutes using a head-mounted camera;
Whereas upon his arrest, the gunman admitted to police that his plan was to 
        target worshippers in a third mosque then burn down the mosques after 
        his attack, and that he wished he had done so;
Whereas the terrorist attack targeted individuals solely on the basis of their 
        religion and ethnicity and carried out in a place of worship;
Whereas these attacks were motivated by an extremist ideology of White supremacy 
        carried out by an individual who espoused racist and Islamophobic views;
Whereas Islamophobia has been a growing threat to communities around the world;
Whereas increased instances of Islamophobia and hate crimes committed against 
        Muslims, or those thought to be Muslim, are partly a result of the 
        response to the September 11, 2001, attacks, and the rise of hate speech 
        and false coverage in the media and online chatrooms that continue to 
        fuel the ignorance that drive certain individuals toward acts of hatred 
        and violence;
Whereas Islamophobia is an integral component of the White supremacist ``great 
        replacement'' conspiracy theory, which the shooter embraced;
Whereas the ``great replacement'' is an Islamophobic, antisemitic, racist, 
        xenophobic, and misogynist conspiracy theory suggesting that White 
        people are being intentionally ``replaced'' by ``invaders'';
Whereas the ``great replacement'' conspiracy theory and rhetoric depicting 
        immigrants and non-Whites as an ``invasion'' has been promoted by 
        Members of Congress and other national leaders;
Whereas subsequent mass shootings, including at a synagogue in Poway, 
        California, a Wal-Mart in El Paso, Texas, and a supermarket in Buffalo, 
        New York, were in part inspired by the Christchurch shootings and the 
        White supremacist ``great replacement'' conspiracy theory and 
        ``invasion'' rhetoric he espoused;
Whereas such heinous acts of violence are an assault on the values of tolerance, 
        diversity, and inclusivity that are the foundation of a free and 
        democratic society;
Whereas the United States has experienced hundreds of public mass shootings in 
        churches, schools, concerts, and movie theaters;
Whereas in an average year, at least 10,300 hate crimes involve a firearm;
Whereas communities of color are disproportionately impacted by gun violence;
Whereas hate crimes harm not only the victim or victims, but also traumatize 
        entire communities and damage public confidence in their safety;
Whereas the Government of New Zealand responded to the attacks by banning 
        semiautomatic weapons and implementing a buyback program for gun owners;
Whereas we must stand in solidarity with the Muslim community in New Zealand and 
        around the world, and reaffirm our commitment to promoting understanding 
        and respect for all people, regardless of their background or beliefs; 
        and
Whereas Congress must do everything in its power to condemn and eradicate the 
        ideologies that fuel hate crimes: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) mourns the loss of the worshipers killed at the mosques 
        in Christchurch;
            (2) recognizes and condemns the transnational threat of 
        White supremacist ideology, conspiracy theories, and violence;
            (3) deplores attacks on people of all faiths in their 
        places of worship;
            (4) affirms the rights of religious minorities in the 
        United States and around the world to practice their religions 
        in peace; and
            (5) commits to ending gun violence.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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