Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof called on all Muslim MPs to recite the Al-Fatihah and non-Muslim MPs to observe a minute’s silence as a mark of respect for the dead.
After a debate on the motion, tabled by Port Dickson MP Anwar Ibrahim, the speaker said: “The Malaysian Parliament stands together with the government and Parliament of New Zealand in rejecting terrorism, hatred and violence in all forms.”
During the debate, Anwar said the world, including Malaysia, should monitor the development of Islamophobia. He said the white supremacy ideology is also seen to be spreading through the race-based parties in western countries.
“The trend in Europe is the development of race-based parties that are opposed to Islam, other religions and immigrants, and they have support among the people.
“This trend will not cease and I stress that the Christchurch incident was one big disaster because of such sentiments,” he said.
The terrorist attack has been widely condemned by various organisations.
In a separate event today, 28 NGOs handed over a memorandum to the New Zealand High Commission, noting their concern and solidarity.
Mohamad Zaidi Nordi, a spokesperson of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations, handed over the memorandum, which is addressed to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, through New Zealand High Commissioner-Designate to Malaysia Hunter Nottage.
Zaidi said the NGOs strongly condemned the attack and called on the New Zealand government to take measures to curb far-right nationalist extremism and white supremacist ideology.
Among the NGOs that signed the memorandum were Secretariat for Ulama Assembly of Asia, Alliance of World Masjid in Defence of Masjid Al-Aqsa and Malaysia Relief Agency.
The memorandum also urged the New Zealand government to prevent Islamophobia and anti-Muslim campaigns from becoming prevalent and to embrace a policy of peaceful co-existence.
“Combat any move to inculcate the culture of hatred against Muslims and Islam prevailing in the world today which has produced this large-scale murder of people praying in the mosques,” he added.
Nottage described the memorandum as “a powerful letter from all of the 28 NGOs”.