I survived the Christchurch terror attack – the government is in danger of forgetting us

Temel Ataçocuğu at Ray Blank Park, Illam, Christchurch. He was injured in the terror attacks of 15 March 2019. Photograph: Alex Lovell-Smith/The Guardian

The day before the fifth anniversary of a terrorist attack at my mosque, New Zealand’s prime minister Christopher Luxon sent an email to the bereaved and survivors of the massacre in Christchurch, including me. Fifty-one Muslims were killed at Masjid al-Noor and at Linwood Islamic Centre during Friday prayers on 15 March 2019, and 40 were injured. In his note on Thursday, Luxon praised our strength, courage, compassion and dignity.

“The government is committed to keeping New Zealanders safe and secure,” he wrote. “We will ensure that lessons learned from these attacks continue to inform how we keep New Zealand safe.”