'I Stand With You' William's Tribute To Christchurch

How His Words Have Brought Comfort and Hope to a Grieving Community.

- Donna Fleming

It’s a long way to come for just two days, but it was very much appreciated. Gamal Fouda, the imam of Christchurch’s Al Noor mosque, summed up the community’s feelings when he thanked Prince William for making the trip to New Zealand following the March terror attacks.

“Your coming here tells us we matter,” he said.

The British royal visited the mosque on April 26 and in a heartfelt speech said, “On the 15th of March, tragedy unfolded in this room.

“A terrorist attempted to sow division and hatred in a place that stands for togetherness and selflessness. He thought he could redefine what this space was. I am here to help you show the world that he failed.”

William, who also visited the Linwood mosque during his brief visit to our shores, went on to say, “An act of violence was designed to change New Zealand. But instead, the grief of a nation revealed just how deep your wells of empathy, compassion, warmth and love truly run.”

Those who met the prince were impressed by the warmth and compassion he displayed.

“It was a very kind gesture,” said Tawab Nabi (29), whose father Haji Daoud Nabi was the first of the 50 people killed.

“He was a genuine, nice person.”

Mustafa Boztas (21) was shot in the upper thigh, the bullet travelling through to his liver and a fragment lodging in his rib. He was at the mosque for William’s visit and said, “It was good that he came; he gave a very nice, warm speech.

“When I met him, he asked about my injuries and how I escaped. He wished me a fast recovery. He’s a nice dude.”

This is the second time William (36) has travelled to Christchurch on behalf of his grandmother, the Queen, to show the royal family’s support in the wake of a tragedy.