In Saudi Arabia, Saudis reacted, like elsewhere in the world, to the attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand. The issue went public as it happened.
King Salman released an official statement on the same day of the Christchurch attacks, calling them “a terrorist attack” and urged the international community to combat “hate speech and terrorism”.
If you want to know Saudis reactions to Christchurch shootings, go to social media. It is very popular among Saudis; a release for their thoughts and opinions, as it creates vibrant discussions or a simple exchange of inconsequential things. Depending on the type of topic, whether political or social, a suitable platform is chosen.
Reflecting on the New Zealand attacks, Twitter, Snapchat and WhatsApp messages were all used to convey information on the attack and inform on the latest update.
In fact, all Saudis sympathized with the New Zealand government and nation. Abdullah Al Fahd tweeted “The true color of NZ. Thank you for all the beautiful should who came out and gave support to their Muslim community. We stand with NZ, love from Saudi Arabia.”
The news of the 2 injured Saudis, one of which died on Saturday, went thorough through Saudis like fire, sending condolences messages to his family over Twitter.
Obviously equal, it was very important for Saudis and Muslims worldwide to observe closely on whether the Australian was described by international media as an “attacker/accused” or as a terrorist. There was a huge outrage when he was described as the “accused” in the first few hours after the attack.
These feelings, come from the widely harsh bad treatment Saudis faced worldwide after the 9/11 attacks. And the shame Saudis they felt for the actions of a few Saudis that are not in Saudis nature.
The nicest Twitter I read was by a Saudi student in Canada who wrote that while her friends were having dinner at a restaurant, they got a note written on a napkin saying “I am a New Zealander. I sincerely apologize to you ladies on behalf of all New Zealanders for the tragedy that happened in New Zealand yesterday. I pray that something like this never happens again, anywhere in the world, Inshallah.”
Also, a video that was spread through WhatsApp messages and Twitter on Waleed Aly, an Australian news anchor on News18 in which he talks about the meaning and source of terrorism worldwide: https://twitter.com/bikerniqabi/status/1106667355147517954?s=12
Yet the #eggboy, Will Cononley, is the Twitter hero at the moment. He is an Australian teenager who threw an egg at the Australian politician when he blamed Muslims for the white nationalist attack at a mosque. The #eggboy made sure he had it all filmed on his phone.
