Mesut Özil joins ‘Hello Brother’ campaign, calls for unity against terror

German-Turkish footballer Mesut Özil on Monday joined the "Hello Brother" social media campaign, which calls for unity and peace in the wake of the terrorist attacks in New Zealand.

"Terrorism has no religion. Let us unite and stand together against violence against any race or belief," Özil wrote on Twitter, sharing a video by Turkish broadcaster TRT World.

The first victim of the attacks, 71-year-old Afghan national Haji Daoud Nabi, said "Hello Brother" to the gunman – who massacred dozens of innocent Muslims in Al Noor Mosque – moments before being shot dead at the entrance of the mosque.

On the day of the attack, March 15, Özil had tweeted: "So sad to see what has happened in New Zealand… Sending my love to everyone there in Christchurch and the families affected."

Özil has become a strong voice against anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant racism in the past year, especially following his retirement from the German national team, for which he cited discrimination against his Turkish roots, racist slurs and comments that targeted him.

The decision to resign was preceded by a wave of xenophobic and racist attacks the Arsenal midfielder faced after meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the run-up to the World Cup in Russia.

Then followed Germany's ignominious exit from the World Cup, for which Özil was scapegoated by local media.

Özil and his fiancée Amine Gülşe invited President Erdoğan to their wedding during a meeting earlier this month.