Friday. And as I write, I am sickened and outraged by the news coming in of the terrorist attack on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

A peace-loving religious community devastated with 49 people shot dead and another 20 seriously injured.

I say again, it is sickening – even more so when we see one of the terrorist perpetrators live-streaming a video of the atrocity from a camera attached to his body.

The calculated, callous inhumanity is shocking. And so we first think of the people who, knowing their family members had gone to prayer, will not be welcoming them home.

A community, a whole nation, and the entire world in mourning, shock and disbelief that this can happen in one of the world’s most civilised and peaceful countries.

And as for the perpetrators, I can’t even begin to imagine the twisted mind-set that could ever imagine doing such a heinous thing.

There is one word for it – Evil – pure evil. To cold-bloodedly mow people down without compassion, understanding or remorse, in such a hate-filled way, is not only cowardly, but wicked beyond measure.

READ MORE: Terror attack condemned

And the ripples spread out across the whole world. The intended aim of such atrocities is to create division and more acts of hatred.

There is little doubt in my mind that the divisive politics of “them” and “us”, so prevalent in North America and now infecting Europe and the UK has played its part. It has given speech to the unspeakable; and those at the edges have become more hate-filled and emboldened.

But not for us. So today, and every day, I stand with my peace-loving Muslim friends, staff of our hospitals, and say that there is no “them and us.”

We are all “us”; members of the same society and community and nation.

We have rights to freedom of worship and expression. We have desires to make a difference in the world. We have families whom we love and protect.

And we, the decent, peace-loving citizens of the UK will keep spreading peace in the face of hateful actions and hateful speech. Peace, after all, is the only way open for us.