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 Whereas the great replacement replaced invaders Whereas the great replacement invasion 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 invasion 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 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.

Summary: This resolution mourns the deaths of worshipers killed during shootings at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15, 2019. It also condemns the transnational threat of white supremacist ideology, deplores attacks on people of all faiths in their places of worship, and affirms the rights of religious minorities worldwide to practice their religions in peace.