New Zealand PM deserves Peace Prize, say media experts

Dubai - Columnist and political analyst Dr Abdel Monem Said said Ardern showed compassion when she visited the mosques and talked to the victims' families.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern deserves a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for her inspiring response during the Christchurch shootings, media experts said at the 18^th edition of the Arab Media Forum (AMF) in Dubai on Monday.
Columnist and political analyst Dr Abdel Monem Said said Ardern showed compassion when she visited the mosques and talked to the victims' families.
"She led the country and called for social cohesion (in the face of a terrorist attack), and she inspired hope and spread the message of love across the world," noted Said, who is also the director of Al Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo. Ardern also showed decisive leadership following the Christchurch mosque shootings by declaring a ban on military-style, semi-automatic guns and assault rifles, Said added.
"There is just a big difference between US President Donald Trump and Ardern. The New Zealand PM is definitely more liberal - we need leaders like her," he said.
TV host Mohammed Al Mulla, meanwhile, criticised the 'knee-jerk reaction' of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the NZ shootings.
"He (Erdogan) said anyone who went to Turkey for anti-Muslim reasons would be returned in coffins, as their grandfathers were."
Al Mulla called Erdogan's reaction as irresponsible and said: "No one gave the right to Erdogan to speak on behalf all Muslims and the oppressed."
Dr Ali Al Nuaimi, editor-in-chief of AlAin.com, on the other hand, said the responsibility to counter intolerance and hate speech does not solely lie in the media.
"It is everyone's responsibility. We have to respect each other and learn to see what binds us rather than what divides us," Al Nuaimi said.
He also called on various governments to create legislations that will safeguard the society from extremism.
Dr Fahad Al Shulaimi, president of Gulf Security and Peace Forum, for his part, called on a unified curriculum to counter the hate discourse.
"Fighting terrorism is the same even if we have different languages. It is like math, one plus one equals two in any language," he explained.
angel@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai