Muslim leader reacts after Sydney stabbing in Wakeley

Two influential Muslim leaders have criticized backstabbing Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel over comments he made which they claim insulted their religion.

The bishop, 53, is in a stable condition in hospital after he was allegedly stabbed by a teenager at around 7pm on Monday while leading a service at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in what police have called a ‘terrorist incident’.

He was caught on the live stream of the service shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ as he stabbed the bishop in the head, neck and torso at least eight times.

Video showed the suspected 16-year-old perpetrator being held by police on the ground inside the church before speaking in Arabic.

The words are understood to translate to: ‘If he did not curse my prophet, I would not be here. If he didn’t get involved in my religion I wouldn’t be here.’

The Australian Muslim social media site, which has more than 2.6 million followers, and Mohamed Shaar, who runs the Sydney Ruqyah Centre, have both condemned the violent act but said some of the bishop’s teachings were hate speech.

Shaar, who has previously courted controversy over his homophobic views, said the bishop had ‘run his mouth’.

‘The funny thing is all those Muslims are saying get well soon and I hope he gets better and so on. Especially the liars on the Cumberland council who have Islamic names.

‘Where were you when he abused our prophet and our religion?’

‘We condemn those people who do any harm, even to an animal; we do not support any kind of violence in our society, but why have you, Mr. politician and Mr. community leader, not said anything to him that could have solved the problems?’

‘He ran his mouth and said our prophet is rotting in a grave. We love our prophet.

‘Leave our religion and prophet alone.

The Australian Muslim social media site, not to be confused with the Australian Muslim Project, said: ‘I’m not condoning that kid’s actions, but the bishop started it’.

‘He has slandered our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. We Muslims will never ever slander Jesus, peace be upon him.’

The comment sparked mixed responses from followers and more than 1,000 likes.

‘I saw a video of him a few days ago, he sounded so self-absorbed and demeaning to other religions. It is very worrying, said one.

‘We need calm, non-inflammatory language. We live in a multicultural society and there will always be people who reject our beliefs, but we should be good examples through our actions, said another.

“We will never grow, mature and be properly respected by those outside our faith until we learn to counter ignorance and propaganda with education rather than violence,” said a third.

A video in the aftermath of Monday night’s attack showed the accused teenager pinned to the ground before saying in Arabic that he would not be there if the bishop ‘did not insult my prophet … if he did not involve himself in my religion.’

The church where Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was attacked as he led a service broke away from the Assyrian Church of the East in 2014 after the bishop was excommunicated over theological differences.

He himself had gained a significant following on social media, with the Christ the Good Shepherd Facebook and YouTube pages boasting more than 240,000 followers.

He has given some sermons criticizing non-Christian religions, including Judaism and Islam, and has also recently given sermons calling for peace in Gaza.

He appeared in a video made last December for the PBD Podcast, hosted by American broadcaster Patrick Bet-David.

On the podcast, Bishop Emmanuel questioned Islamic belief around Jesus, who he calls Isa, saying ‘the truth hurts’.

‘Your book (the Qur’an) says that Isa, the son of Mary, ascended to Heaven alive, and he will come back to judge the dead and the living.

‘If I ask a Muslim ‘Who judges?’, they will say God.

‘Well, you tell me that this prophet (Muhammad) will judge, so which is which? Has the prophet assumed the role of God? Has God gone on vacation and he has come and taken up his position?’

The bishop said ‘Isa is the living messiah, says it (the Koran) itself’.

‘Now let me ask you, my dear Muslim, if you claim that Isa is a prophet, how about all the other prophets that you believe in – you believe in Moses, you believe in Isa, you believe in all the prophets of the Old Testament.

‘Why were none of the Old Testament prophets referred to as ‘the word of God’ except Es? Why?’

Bishop Emmanuel then spoke about the birth of Jesus to Mary and how he is the son of God.

“How can it be that all the prophets and every human being on the face of this planet was born of an earthly father and an earthly mother, yet Jesus, the son of Mary, was born in a virgin birth,” he said.

‘He has an earthly mother, but has no earthly father. For his father (is) which is in heaven.’

The outspoken bishop added that ‘The very reason Muhammad failed is that he is dead. Their book says that…

‘I know the truth hurts. I don’t insult people, I speak the truth. And if it offends you, I’m really sorry. Does not. I’m not sorry about that.’

He later told his fellow panelists on the podcast that ‘When you go to heaven, I can assure you… Muhammad will not greet you, Buddha will not greet you, (Hindu deity) Krishna will not greet you because they will not greet you. .

‘There will be only one who is the way, the truth and the life, it will be Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who died for you and me.’

NSW Premier Chris Minns has met with faith leaders across the city, all of whom have issued statements condemning the attack and calling for peace and unity.

Minns said the city is in a combustible and abnormal situation and there is no use pretending otherwise after the stabbing sparked violent riots in Wakeley.

“I can understand people’s concern and anxiety in what has been an incredibly difficult week in Sydney,” Minns said.

‘It’s a combustible situation, there’s no point in pretending everything is as usual.’

Minns said police had now improved patrols.

“Especially in western Sydney, especially around religious institutions, the rest of the week and the weekend,” he said.

The public has been urged to come together and act sensibly.

“Take note of the civic and religious leaders of this state who are calling for calm and an absolute rejection of all forms of violence,” Mr Minns said.

Several police who responded to the stabbing were injured in the ensuing riot, while paramedics had to seek refuge in the church as a large crowd gathered after the attack was caught live on social media.

It was declared an act of terrorism on Tuesday with an apparent religious motivation behind the attack, which was allegedly carried out by a 16-year-old with a history of knife-related crime.

Minns said he had spoken to the five officers who were hospitalized after the riot.

“Several of them were back on duty the next day,” he said, praising their dedication.

The attack was streamed on social media, with federal environment minister and Sydney MP Tanya Plibersek warning that lies are being used to divide a troubled city.

“We know there are people who are deliberately trying to be divisive on social media … turn off if you can,” she said.