Despite fears of reprisals, thousands of Muslims congregated in Sydney’s mosques for regular prayers on Friday. This came after police charged a 16-year-old boy with a terrorism offense for allegedly stabbing Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel during a church service on Monday.
On Thursday, authorities charged a 16-year-old boy with a terrorism offense in connection with the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at a church on Monday. Video footage captured the moment when the congregation subdued the boy, who was vocally expressing his anger towards Emmanuel for what he perceived as an insult to Islam.
According to the police, the boy allegedly stabbed the bishop multiple times, resulting in the bishop being in stable condition at the hospital. The offense is punishable by a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, and the boy has been denied bail.
Following the attack, a large crowd gathered at the church, engaging in confrontations with the police and calling for the boy to be apprehended. Later, the Lakemba mosque, one of Australia’s largest, received threats of fire bombings.
Outside the mosque on Friday, as worshippers walked by, community leader Gamel Kheir expressed concern that Muslim women might face discrimination. Additionally, employees of the mosque overseer were instructed to work from home temporarily.
According to Kheir, the Lebanese Muslim Association, which oversees three mosques including Lakemba, is concerned about Muslim women being singled out due to their headscarves while walking in public areas. Currently, these women are afraid to do so.
In the wake of a recent mass stabbing in Bondi, the assault on Emmanuel and the potential for retaliation have unsettled the typically tranquil city of Sydney. While gun and knife crime remains infrequent in this safe metropolis, Abdul Masri, 32, expressed apprehension about the prospect of additional incidents as he made his way to the mosque on Friday, as reported by Reuters.
“I don’t fear, but I still worry, you know,” he said.
On Thursday, Bishop Emmanuel implored for peace and publicly forgave his assailant in an audio recording made at the hospital. Kheir expressed gratitude to the priest for his message of forgiveness and serenity.
“At day’s end, we collectively embrace a common message, inhabit the same land, and form a united community,” he said
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