Pakistani hero's wife has a message for terrorist who attacked New Zealand mosques

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Pakistani hero's wife has a message for terrorist who attacked New Zealand mosques

Ambreen Naeem lost her husband and 21-year-old son in New Zealand mosque attacks last week.

Ambreen Naeem, widow of the Naeem Rashid from Pakistani who laid his life fighting a shooter during Christchurch mosques attacks, said she felt pity for the terrorist.

Ambreen not only lost her husband in the terrorists attacks but her 21-year-old son Talha was also killed by gun shots.

"I think my faith is the only thing, that's the main thing that is keeping me strong. I feel sad for that terrorist, I feel pity for him that he didn't have love in his heart, he had hate and that he can't feel the contentment, the peace which we can," said Ambreen.

“I feel pity for him, that he didn’t have love in his heart… he didn’t feel contentment or peace” - Ambreen Naeem's feels pity toward the Christchurch terror attack gunman #TheProjectNZ pic.twitter.com/UsVmOzR7da
— The Project NZ (@TheProject_NZ) 19 March 2019

"My husband and son gave up their lives to save other people and this is what Islam is to us. It's a religion of peace and love," Tribune.com.pk quoted Ambreen as saying at a television news show The Project NZ on Tuesday.

Ambreen, who displayed immense courage and contentment in the face of devastation, added, "I know that he was a very brave man, very helpful, very loving. Love can make you do that what he did. He tried to save people's lives because he was [a] loving [man]." Rashid, hailing from Abbottabad, got shot while trying to overpower the shooter after he entered one of the mosques in Christchurch on March 15.

Recalling her son Ambreen said, "Right from the childhood Talha was a very caring person. He was such an inspiration for our children and we tell our children to be just like Talha."

On being asked if she would go back to mosque, the grieving wife and mother said, "Oh yeah, that's the thing that I've learnt from this, nothing can stop me. It just had made me stronger."

While tributes poured in for Rashid after his death with New Zealand's Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, saying he had made the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of worshippers inside the mosque. Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan, also announced to recognise Rashid's sacrifice with a national award.