Friday's call to prayers for Muslims in New Zealand will be broadcast nationally on TV and radio and there will be a two minute silence on Friday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced.
More families are beginning the painful process of burying the dead in Christchurch as the community gathered to farewell the first victims of the mosque terror attack.
Ms Ardern said the Friday call to prayer will be broadcast in a show of solidarity. On Wednesday she also announced two minutes of silence will take place to mark a week since the attack.
"There is a desire to show support for the Muslim community as they return to mosques on Friday," she said.
Christchurch’s Masjid Al Noor is set to reopen its doors on Friday, a week after a gunman stormed into the building and killed 42 people. Christchurch businesses pulled together to help get the mosque ready to reopen for the faithful.
As the one week anniversary of the shooting approaches on Friday, families have become frustrated with the delays in having the dead returned for a swift burial in line with Islamic custom.
Thirty bodies had been formally identified by Wednesday evening and are expected be returned shortly.
Zaid Mustafa, 13, in a wheelchair recovering from a gunshot wound to his leg, tried to stand for prayers as his father Khaled and older brother Hamza, 15, became the first buried.
Within hours another four victims were buried.
More details on SBS News
