Marquette Today

Campus News and Events

Submit news

Menu

  • Campus News
    • Top News for Students
    • Top News for Faculty & Staff
    • Magazines at Marquette
    • Campus Alerts
  • Archives
  • Submit news
    • Editorial Guidelines
    • Contacts
  • @MarquetteToday
  • Events Calendar
  • Topics
    • Community Engagement
    • Diversity
    • Innovation
    • Master Planning
    • Marquette Momentum
    • Research
    • Strategic Planning
  • June 28, 2022

A letter from Dr. William Welburn on the shooting at Christchurch in New Zealand; MSA to host prayer vigil tonight

March 18, 2019

Last November, I wrote a brief message to the Marquette community expressing my personal solidarity with the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. In that letter, I noted how we continue to witness acts of Antisemitism and racism, particularly those directed at places of worship. I also recounted the words of an administrator at the First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown, Kentucky, who was quoted as saying, “When one feels pain, we all feel pain.”

Last week, I was visiting our program in Cape Town, South Africa with a group of Marquette faculty. As I prepared to travel home, I learned that our lives were once again disrupted. This time the victims had assembled at the Al Noor and Linwood Mosques in New Zealand’s Christchurch. It was, and still is, hard to grasp—the chronology, the live stream on social media, the panic, the scramble to understand and make sense of it all.

Among the victims was the goalkeeper from New Zealand’s national futsal team, a father and son, a man who sought asylum after fleeing Afghanistan 40 years ago and a Syrian refugee. I am reminded of the words of Stuart Taylor, a minister from Tucson, Arizona, who once told me, “It is in our nature as human beings to migrate.” Yet there are those who will act on their hatred and commit an act of egregious violence against Muslims who migrated to Christchurch and gathered in peace for prayer.

Pope Francis expressed his condolences through Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, writing, “His Holiness Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the injury and loss of life caused by the senseless acts of violence at two Mosques in Christchurch, and he assures all New Zealanders, and in particular the Muslim community, of his heartfelt solidarity in the wake of these attacks.”  On Sunday he would pray, “I am close to our Muslim brothers.”

For those of us who are practicing Christians, we must allow for the disruption in our Lenten season. As I said in my letter last November, as busy as we are, I urge us as a community not to let this moment go by without beginning a dialogue on how to combat hate. Regardless of faith tradition or belief, it is incumbent upon us to stand again in solidarity—this time with our Muslim sisters and brothers who have experienced pain from the shootings in Christchurch. We stand in solidarity against hate and its rhetoric, and at the extreme, the violence that disrupts our society.

William Welburn
Vice President for Inclusive Excellence


The Muslim Student Association will host a prayer service tonight in honor of the 50 innocent lives that were killed in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15, 2019.

The prayer vigil will be held tonight, March 18, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the AMU, second floor lobby.

Filed Under: For Faculty/Staff, For Students, News

More news

An update from Dr. Kevin Rich, chair of the James H. Keyes Dean of Business Administration Search Committee

June 27, 2022

Applications open for new intergenerational student housing program with St. Camillus life plan community

June 27, 2022

School of Dentistry researcher receives $1.45 million NIH grant to study effects of aging on oral health

June 27, 2022

Marquette receives two global CASE Circle of Excellence awards for video marketing collateral

June 27, 2022

Reminder: Milwaukee County Bus Rapid Transit project continues on campus through summer

June 27, 2022

Angela Schultz receives E. Michael McCann Public Service Award

June 27, 2022

Get into Summerfest free on July 8 by wearing Marquette gear

June 27, 2022

Medical coverage transparency in coverage rule

June 27, 2022

More news

Quick Links

  • Faculty/Staff News
  • Student News
  • Magazines at Marquette
Submit news

Featured Stories

Shattering the glass frog ceiling

Shattering the glass frog ceiling

Teaching Instructor Rick Boyd is said to be only the second individual in the United States to successfully breed the granulosa glass frog in captivity.

Summer Studies empowers students to get ahead, explore interests

Summer Studies empowers students to get ahead, explore interests

Those interested in taking part in the second session of Summer Studies must register online by July 1.

Baby formula shortage presents challenges for families

Baby formula shortage presents challenges for families

Dr. Karen Robinson discusses the ongoing baby formula shortage, the difficulties many families are experiencing across the country and more.

Read more featured stories.

Safety

Safety Task Force approves 12 proposals for implementation

Plan for Commencement Weekend security measures

Last call: Safety Task Force idea submissions

Human Resources News

Medical coverage transparency in coverage rule

Walk this Way Step Challenge: My Wellness points and weekly giveaway available

Marquette University 2022 One-Time Employee Payment Information and FAQ

Research

Shattering the glass frog ceiling

Marquette faculty and staff grants from April 2022

Three faculty members earn prestigious Fulbright Scholar awards for international research

Awards & Accomplishments

School of Dentistry researcher receives $1.45 million NIH grant to study effects of aging on oral health

Marquette receives two global CASE Circle of Excellence awards for video marketing collateral

Angela Schultz receives E. Michael McCann Public Service Award

Marquette UniversityCopyright 2022 by Marquette University
MARQUETTE.EDU // CONTACTS // A TO Z