Christchurch Al Noor Mosque attack victim Temel Ataçocuğu is still healing three years after the mass shootings on March 15, 2019, which killed 51 people and injured 40.
On that tragic day, the gunman opened fire on those attending Friday prayers at both the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre.
From March 1, Mr Ataçocuğu will walk the gunman’s route from Dunedin to Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island.
Mr Ataçocuğu, who took nine bullets and survived the day buried under people killed by the terrorist, will raise money for a number of children’s health charities, including Gumboot Friday, Save The Children and the Child Cancer Foundation.
He said he had timed the walk and planned to arrive at the Al Noor Mosque on March 15, 2022, the third anniversary of the senseless attack.
He told SBS Turkish he had undergone 10 major surgeries and countless smaller procedures since that horrific day.
A woman prepares tp lay flowers outside the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch. Source: AAP
He said times had been tough, not only due to his injuries, but also because ongoing COVID-19 restrictions had resulted in the closure of his business.
“I gave up counting the surgeries,” Mr Ataçocuğu said.
“The last one was three months ago when I had implants to replace the teeth destroyed by the first bullet I received to my face.”
In three months’ time, he will have further operations on his knee and arm.
“It is what it is,” he said, “…if I keep thinking about it, I won’t make it.”
But he’s an optimist. He can smile now as he has new teeth meaning he is no longer reminded of that tragic day every time he looks in the mirror.
“There must be a reason I survived nine bullets,” he said.
“Allah has given me a chance. I need to do something about terrorism with the rest of my life. This is about hate, racism and extremism. It doesn’t matter what religion, what colour or what nationality, terrorism is harming people, harming children.”
That’s why he chose to raise money for a children’s mental health charity.
Five of the nine bullets hit his legs, two in each knee. Despite his injuries, he intends to cover 360km on his 15-day walk.
He said his medical specialist had approved the trek and that his knees could handle it. He has been in training for weeks.
“Temel’s Peace Walk” will begin from the house the Australian perpetrator rented in Dunedin before travelling to Christchurch for the attack.
Mr Ataçocuğu plans to reach Christchurch at the exact time the terrorist opened fire three years ago.
“I am doing this walk against him for peace, to honour the 51 people he killed, especially the children and other young people,” he said.
Mr Ataçocuğu said his broader aim was to help children affected by war and natural disasters.
“I know trauma very well,” he said.
“I feel this is my mission. When I was under a pile of bodies waiting for my turn to die, the only thing on my mind was my kids. I was praying to Allah to give me the opportunity to look after my kids.
“I lost my father when I was 12 and I thought my kids would lose me too. Allah gave me another chance to do positive things for myself, for New Zealand and for humanity. I am doing this for our kids.”
At the commemoration of the second anniversary of the massacre last year, Mr Ataçocuğu spoke in remembrance of Mucad, a three-year-old child who had been playing and laughing with his father next to him at Al Noor Mosque before the attack started.
Temel Ataçocuğu sustained significant injuries during the 2019 attack. Source: Mel Logan
“Ten minutes later he was dead in his father’s arms, and I can’t forget him,” he said.
“We came to New Zealand to give my children the best future because it is the most peaceful country on Earth. This attack shattered the country. I want to help her to heal. I want to help Muslims in New Zealand to heal with New Zealand.
“My Peace Walk will help. Despite the pain in my legs, I will walk from Dunedin to Christchurch to change it from the terrorist’s hate route to a road to peace. He travelled for hate. I will walk for peace for our children.”
In August 2020, the shooter was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole – the first such sentence ever handed down in New Zealand.
