OPINION
The Christchurch shooter, Brenton Tarrant, in addition to being a cowardly terrorist, was a strategic ignoramus. He entered the Christchurch mosques as a white male and unleashed death after posting a manifesto that clearly identified himself as an extreme white nationalist. If it was his strategic intention to inflict harm on the Islamic community, both nationally and internationally, then his tactics were entirely counterproductive.
Not only did his murder of 51 innocent Muslims at prayer produce a huge outpouring of love and solidarity from the New Zealand population, but New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s response to the tragedy made a deep impression on a much larger and more influential international audience. Her words “They are us,” and her wearing of the hijab as she sought to comfort the families of the slain, ensured that the net effect of Tarrant’s act of terrorism was positive for the cause of Islam – not negative.
