Muslim call to prayer broadcast on New Zealand radio for Christchurch massacre anniversary

The Muslim call to prayer was broadcast on radio stations across New Zealand on Tuesday to commemorate the anniversary of the Christchurch Mosque massacre that shook the country on 15 March 2019.

Radio stations broadcast the Adhan for the afternoon 'Dhur' prayer at 1:39 pm, according to local media, to mark the time white supremacist Brenton Tarrant murdered 51 people in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch.

Christchurch City Council encouraged the public to "take this brief moment out of your day to tune in, listen and reflect".

"Today we remember the 51 lives lost as result of one of our cities darkest days three years ago. To everyone who was affected through loss, injury and grief, you are forever in our thoughts," Christchurch City Council tweeted on Tuesday.

The massacres took place in the city's Al-Noor Mosque and Lindwood Islamic Centre. All of Tarrant's victims were Muslim and included children, women, and the elderly.

Today at 1.30pm we join a nationwide broadcast of the adhan (call to prayer) as a tribute to the affected families, and an act of remembrance and symbol of solidarity with Aotearoa New Zealand’s Muslim communities. https://t.co/WSPbrroNtn

— Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM (@wgtnaccessradio) March 14, 2022

The third anniversary of the attacks will pass without a national public remembrance event "at the request of the bereaved families and those injured", the city council stated earlier this month.

Instead, a number of community-led initiatives aimed at showing support for the Muslim community are set to take place.

"This year, the families and survivors have told us they no longer want... [a national] event... as a Council we will wholeheartedly support the events and initiatives that the bereaved families and injured or traumatised survivors have created, and we hope all city residents will do so as well," Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said.

After pleading guilty to 51 charges of murder - 40 of attempted murder and one of terrorism - Tarrant was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in August 2020.

This marked the first time a whole-life term has been handed down in New Zealand. Last November Tarrant's lawyer Tony Ellis said the attacker was considering appealing his jail term.