The Islamic Council of New South Wales released a statement on 16th April concerning the horrifying stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church at Sydney’s Wakeley. The organisation condemned the authorities for terming the crime as a “terror attack” while comparing it to the instance at Westfield shopping centre at Bondi Junction which resulted in the death of six individuals.
However, the 16-year-old attacker repeatedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” and even made religious remarks including a reference to the Islamic prophet Muhammad during his assault on the bishop. He had also recently converted to Islam. On the other hand, the Bondi Junction attacker didn’t indulge in any religious sloganeering or uttered comments pertaining to any particular religion.
Notably, the Islamic Council of New South Wales appeared to have conveniently ignored the striking distinction between the two assailants and accused the police of giving a communal colour to the ordeal and alleged that the minor suffered from “behavioural and mental health issues.”
The letter read, “The Islamic Council of NSW (ICNSW) is deeply shocked and saddened by the events that occurred on Saturday in Bondi Junction and last night at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the suburb of Wakeley. We pass on our condolences and prayers to all of those affected. We are thankful to God that nobody has died as a result of last night’s attack perpetrated by a 16-year-old individual who is known to have behavioural and mental health issues.”
The Islamic outfit conveyed that any faith’s hallowed halls of worship are revered havens of tranquillity and added that the places as well as their congregations must be respected and protected. It then brought up the mass stabbing at Bondi Junction and asserted, “We find it bewildering that the weekend’s devastating incident at Bondi Junction where 6 victims were tragically killed in a targeted attack has been attributed by authorities to be exclusively motivated by the mental health issues of the perpetrator.”
The statement attempted to make a connection between the two incidents and accused, “Yet in stunning contrast, the incident at Christ The Good Shepherd Church, where thankfully nobody was killed, was designated as a terrorist act within hours of the incident, despite the fact the perpetrator is known to have a history of behavioural and mental health issues.”
The group charged that referring to the instance as a “religiously motivated terrorist act” communicates to the Australian community that terrorism is exclusive to Muslims, regardless of an individual’s age, mental state, or self-motivated activities and added, “Mental health issues, like terrorism, are not exclusive to any community. The NSW government’s decision to label this as a terrorist act is irresponsible and we believe will only increase the likelihood of further tensions within the Australian community by fuelling social division and disharmony.”
Islamic Council of New South Wales demanded that the 16-year-old minor’s forensic mental health evaluation be done immediately and that the authorities carefully weigh all potential social repercussions of their choices. It concluded with, “We have had an ongoing mental health crisis in NSW. The government should give urgent consideration and focus on addressing this crisis. We all need to work together to confront this tragic reality that is now impacting all of us.”
“We believe there are elements that are satisfied in terms of religiously motivated extremism. After consideration of all the material, I declared that it was a terrorist incident,” declared New South Wales State Police Commissioner Karen Webb. The male attacker travelled far from his house to the church carrying a knife, indicating, according to the police, “a degree of premeditation.”
BREAKING: In Australia ( Sydney) a knife st@being just happened at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church, on a livestream.
— Mini Razdan (@mini_razdan10) April 15, 2024
https://t.co/5cOeUiTqrh
According to Australian media accounts, the youngster stabbed the bishop at least eight times in the face, neck and torso and screamed “Allahu Akbar.” Australian counterterrorism officials are aware of his other expressions including on the Islamic prophet Muhammad, in addition to the religious proclamations. The church service was being streamed live when the attack happened and left four people injured during the mass.
