Hawzah News Agency - (Christchurch - New Zealand) - For the first time, two Muslim candidates are standing in their local government elections in Christchurch, hoping to be a voice for a deeply wounded community.

Imam Gamal Fouda had just begun giving a sermon at the Al Noor mosque when a gunman entered and unleashed a volley of bullets.

The attacks on 15 March saw 51 worshipers shot dead during Friday prayers, including 44 from Mr Fouda's congregation, and the others at the Linwood Islamic Centre.

"It was a hard time for all of us," he told SBS News, six months on. 

"Although I was greatly injured from inside, I had to stand for the community, and to serve them and to show leadership."

The former primary school teacher, who moved to New Zealand from Egypt in 2003, thrust himself into the international spotlight on the Friday after the attacks when he delivered a sermon urging world leaders to eliminate hate speech.

Attended by thousands and broadcast around the globe, he condemned the rise of white supremacy and thanked New Zealanders for their "love and compassion".