Representative Chyung leads Indiana House in remembering victims of New Zealand attacks

INDIANAPOLIS – Representative Chris Chyung (D-Dyer) led Indiana House members in memorializing the victims of the Christchurch, New Zealand massacre.

Fifty people were killed and dozens more seriously injured after hate-fueled attacks at Al Noor and Linwood Mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15, 2019.

“We cannot allow the fear of the unknown consume us and lead to the mass destruction that we saw in these attacks,” Chyung said. “The way to address fear of the different, which too often manifests as senseless hatred and blind violence, is through patience, through education, and through collaborative communication.

“Today, we happen to be talking about an attack on mosques in a faraway country,” he added. “Tomorrow it could be a church in one of our very own districts.”

Chyung was joined on the House floor by Ayesha Mohiuddin, vice president of the board of directors at Illiana Islamic Association in Highland, to pay tribute to those who lost their lives while worshiping in what had been considered a safe haven.

“I hope that bringing a measured discussion about this senseless act of violence onto the floor of the Indiana House of Representatives will help heal those in New Zealand devastated by the attacks and help enlighten our Hoosier communities,” Chyung said. “Today, the Indiana House stands with our brothers and sisters in New Zealand denouncing hate and violence.”