Instead of spreading white supremacy, why not read these?

While the whole country is mourning, and we as a nation are having to confront the white supremacy which we let grow in our backyard, we at The Pantograph Punch think it is of the utmost importance to ensure we are continuing to centre the voices of our Muslim brothers and sisters. Following the terrorist attack on the Muslim community in Ōtautahi, we've compiled an incomplete reading list of voices to listen to, from Muslim perspectives surround the attacks, how to combat white defensiveness and how to talk about tragedies to our children.

We recommend reading:

As well as amplifying the voices that need to be amplified at this time, it's also an appropriate moment to turn inward and really confront the ways in which we as a nation state founded on settler colonialism have helped violence like this this thrive.

For those who may be looking for writing to give a bit more context, a number of our writers here at Pantograph Punch have been voicing opinions about islamophobia and anti-Muslim rhetoric for far too long.

Perhaps most importantly is the need to confront our own complacency with white supremacy and islamophobia. We shouldn't be expecting the affected communities to do all the heavy lifting. While flowers and vigils are touching, the real action will be targeting and unpacking the structures that got us here, and that can be challenged by interrogating our own biases and the biases of others to prevent hate from spreading. Because this is by no means a new phenomenon. Here and here are pre-existing reading lists which might be good places to start. If that’s not fast enough for you then check out the free Me and White Supremacy Workbook.

If you want to enact further direct action after reading, you can give money through the Muslims Around The World emergency appeal fund. The Spinoff also have some links here and here of how we can support our Muslim communities and amplify the voices that should be amplified.

We’d like to keep adding to this list, so if you’ve read something you think should be on here, let us know at kiaora@pantograph-punch.com.

Illustration: Huriana Kopeke-Te Aho