Sydney church stabbing: Attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in Wakeley may be linked to recovered video showing stabbing victim making controversial remarks about Islam

An Assyrian Orthodox bishop who was stabbed during a live-streamed service in Sydney spoke controversially about Islam in a video recorded four months ago.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in Sydney’s west just after 7pm on Monday when a 16-year-old boy walked up to the altar and allegedly stabbed him several times.

In a separate video of the aftermath of the alleged terror attack, the boy said in Arabic ‘If they didn’t insult my prophet, I wouldn’t have come here. If he didn’t get involved in my religion, I wouldn’t have come here.’

The teenager may have been referring to the bishop’s appearance on a restored video on religion made last December for the PBD Podcast hosted by US broadcaster Patrick Bet-David.

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

READ MORE: The miracle that saved Bishop Mar Marie Emmanuel’s life and kept his alleged attacker from killing him – ‘Act of God’

The alleged knifeman (held down in the picture) has been branded an alleged terrorist by the police

‘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 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.’

Bishop Emmanuel prayed for his alleged attacker moments after he was injured on Monday night.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said four people had been injured in the attack.

After the attack, an angry mob of around 2,000 people thronged close to the church, with rioting breaking out and police struggling to maintain order.

A mob gathered outside Christ The Good Shepherd Church (pictured) in Wakeley following the incident, resulting in several more injuries

More than 100 police officers were eventually called to deal with the unrest, and two were taken to hospital with injuries, police said.

Both the bishop and his alleged attacker underwent surgery on Tuesday morning.

The alleged teenage terrorist is believed to have cut off his own finger during the alleged attack

ASIO chief Mike Burgess said the attack “appears to be religiously motivated but we are continuing our lines of inquiry”.

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