To prevent another Christchurch we must confront the right’s hate preachers | Jonathan Freedland

This attack was inspired by the populist politicians and their cheerleaders who claim the west is under threat from Islam

There are coping strategies for dealing with terrorism and the feeling it is meant to induce, namely terror. One is to tell yourself, it won’t happen to me. Following the massacre of 49 people at prayer in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, many non-Muslims might be saying to themselves, if only in a guilty whisper, “I am not Muslim, I’ll be OK.” Another strategy is to tell yourself, it won’t happen here. That’s hard, though, for if it can happen in a country that has long seen itself as a serene haven, distant from a turbulent world, then it can surely happen anywhere. And still others may fall back on that perennial reassurance: this was just one deranged individual.

Related: After Christchurch, Muslims need more than just your thoughts and prayers | Masuma Rahim

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