This New Mural Honours Naeem Rashid, Who Died Trying To Stop The Christchurch Mosque Attacker

In the wake of the Christchurch terror attack, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged the public to “speak the names of those who were lost, rather than the name of the man who took them”. Today, a new mural in Auckland honours one of the fallen, Naeem Rashid, who was killed as he tried to tackle the gunman on Friday.

Rashid was 50, a teacher and a father of three. He died alongside one of his sons, 21-year-old Talha, who was preparing to get married.

In the days following the attack, Rashid’s brothers have described how proud of they are of him, and how devastating his death has been — “the loss is just like cutting a limb off, really,” one of his brothers told the BBC.

Naeem Rashid was one of at least 6 Pakistanis killed in Christchurch. He died trying to tackle the shooter and is being hailed as a hero. His brother in Abbottabad told the BBC he is "proud" of him, but the loss is "like cutting off your limb" pic.twitter.com/vpeJ7KMUKe

— Secunder Kermani (@SecKermani) March 16, 2019

Another brother described watching the footage of Rashid’s death. “I saw that video and the first thing I wanted to see was the look in his eyes,” he said. “I did not see an iota of fear in his eyes. That made me proud. What a brave man he was.”

“I knew if I had any problem he would be standing with me, I had no doubt about it. But to do it for others, once he could have run away, that speaks volumes about him. He’s my hero, at least.”

Another brother of Naeem Rashid told us how he felt seeing the video posted by the Christchurch shooter, and watching Naeem lose his life trying to prevent the massacre: pic.twitter.com/KcDsz5a43C

— Secunder Kermani (@SecKermani) 16 March 2019

Mural artist Paul Walsh agreed, and painted Rashid as a reminder to remember the heroes, and victims, of the Christchurch attack.

“I wish I didn’t know who Naeem was,” Walsh wrote on Facebook. “I wish he was back at his job as a teacher today, and I wish I was painting something else. But some coward changed everything, and I have had to respond in the only way I know how; by honouring the lives of my fellow New Zealanders who didn’t make it home on Friday.”

“We will not forget you.”

This Muslim man is Naeem Rashid from Abottabad, Pakistan. He sacrificed himself trying to disarm the terrorist at the Mosque in New Zealand. His son Talha was also killed in the attack.

HE IS A HERO. KNOW HIM. 😭

Retweet 💔 pic.twitter.com/03Al22ZmDd

— StanceGrounded (@_SJPeace_) March 15, 2019

Walsh painted the mural with a green and black background to represent Rashid’s native Pakistan and his home of New Zealand, “united in mourning”. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that Rashid will receive a posthumous national award for bravery.

We stand ready to extend all our support to the families of Pakistani victims of the terrorist attack in Christchurch. Pakistan is proud of Mian Naeem Rashid who was martyred trying to tackle the White Supremacist terrorist & his courage will be recognized with a national award.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 17, 2019

Paul Walsh has also painted another mural commemorating the victims of the Christchurch attack, based on cartoonist Shaun Yeo’s image of a crying kiwi. That mural is on the side of the Karangahape Road Rockshop in Auckland, while the mural of Rashid is in Auckland’s Avondale Art Park. May they both be a reminder to remember the victims of Friday’s attack.

---

Feature image: Paul X Walsh (Facebook)