Members of the Islamic community have expressed shock over the livestreamed stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in Sydney’s west,saying it is not what they represent.
Police were patrolling several mosques on the city’s western outskirts on Wednesday.
As Muzzy Elsett left the Othman Bin Affan mosque in Cabramatta West,he said the attack at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley was tragic,“like any attack”.
“We don’t preach harm on anyone,” he said. “It’s not what we represent. We don’t walk around trying to hurt people. If anything,in our religion in Islam,even smiling to a person is an act of charity. You get rewarded for that.”
Elsett did not condone the alleged actions of the 16-year-old attack suspect,who is Muslim,while also stressing the importance in his religion of not disrespecting the Prophet Muhammad.
He said many in the Islamic community knew about before the attack and wished his leaders had spoken to him instead of a teenager resorting to violence.
“We are happy to live our lives and practise our religion freely and others do the same – that’s the great thing about living in this country,” he said. “But I don’t think anyone in our community would go and tell a teenager to hurt someone.”
At the nearby Bonnyrigg Mosque,Bangladeshi refugee Alom Zir said he spent several years at the offshore immigration detention centre on Nauru and was overjoyed to make it to Australia,where he thought it was safe.
“I’m very upset this happened. This is not our religion,” Zir said. “We are about love[and] kindness.”