Mosque attack: ‘we will not be intimidated’

THE doors to the Iman Hussain Mosque in Ottawa, the scene of a bloody murder, arson and a bomb scare, will remain locked until the end of the Ramadan fast, but will not shut down.

This is according to the chairman of the Shia mosque, Azzad Seedat, who said the closure was a temporary measure to install a security system and revamp the partially damaged mosque.

Despite worried residents calling for it to be relocated, Seedat said they had no intention of doing so.

He said he understood that they were emotional and scared “but I can assure them that they have nothing to fear. I will be meeting with residents during this week to address their concerns”.

On Thursday, three men entered the mosque and stabbed the moulana, Ali Nchinyane, 28, in his shoulders. To escape his attackers, Nchinyane, jumped from the first floor of the mosque. He has since left Durban and is recuperating in Gauteng.

Caretaker, Mohamed Ali, 28, who also delivers the call for prayer, is still in hospital after his stomach was slit open. Father of two, Abbas Essop, 35, who worked across the road from the mosque and heard Nchinyane and Ali’s screams, went to assist. The attackers turned on him, slitting his throat. He died in hospital.

Before fleeing the scene, the attackers petrol bombed a portion of the mosque.

Just when calm was being restored, a bomb-like device was found by a cleaner under the moulana’s pulpit on Sunday, shortly after the Police minister Bheki Cele visited the mosque.

Security company Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) evacuated more than 40 families, as police bomb disposal experts assessed the device, a cylinder connected to a cellphone.

According to Hawks spokesperson Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo, the incendiary device known as a “fire-bomb”, is a weapon designed to start fires.

“They are often known as bombs but they are not explosive and are, in fact, designed to slow the process of chemical reactions and use ignition,

rather than detonation, to start fires.”

He said investigations into the brutal attack were ongoing. On Monday, the Hawks met with Rusa to take statements from its officers, who had also responded to the stabbings.

Seedat said he would not be deterred by the violent incident and Ramadan prayer services would go ahead at another venue.

“We have 200 worshippers that attend our services and they will not be left in the lurch.”

As part of the renovations, they will tighten security.

“We will be installing cameras on the property so, in future, we can monitor who is coming in and out of the

mosque,” he said.

The attack came in the wake of increased hate against the Shia community, allegedly by some Islamic sects.

“For centuries the Shia Muslims have been victims of hate speech and ridicule,” said Seedat. “This started after the demise of Prophet Muhammad because the Shia Muslims choose to follow Prophet Muhammad and his family, while Sunni Muslims followed Prophet Muhammad and his disciples. This is when the division started.”

Seedat said the mosque has been in existence for more than 10 years and was supported by donations from its worshippers.

The national spokesperson for the Shia community in SA,

Moulana Aftab Haider, said they would not be intimidated.

“For a long time now there has been a hate campaign against us and we did not realise it will go so far. Our mosques across the country are on high alert and we have requested they tighten their security given the events in Ottawa.”

Professor Mohsseen Ebrahim, from the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said everyone should have the right to practise their beliefs.

“The leaders in the community of Ottawa need to educate people about religious tolerance and respecting one another. This attack was senseless and barbaric.”

The former secretary general of the Islamic Propagation Centre International in Durban, Yousuf Deedat said he did not think the attack was related to Islamic terrorism.

“Muslims don’t kill Muslims. However, something greater than what we see or read in the newspapers is at play,” he said. “The simple rule is for investigators to follow the money because in most cases killings are money related.”

Meanwhile, wishing Muslims well for Ramadaan, President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the attack, with his office saying in a statement that he expected that the community of Verulam will be able to experience this period as one of “peace and goodwill it is meant to be”.

AV Mohammed of the Grey Street Mosque described the attack as extremism, saying the culprits were being petty, while Ashwin Trikamjee, president of the SA Hindu Maha Sabha, said the organisation condemned all forms of violence, especially attacks at places of worship.

The executive director of the Diakonia Council of Churches, Nomabelu Mvambo-Dandala said they were shocked by the terrible attack, which disregarded the sanctity of a place of worship.

“As an ecumenical organisation, which has long worked with the interfaith community for justice and peace, we share the pain of loss and pray for the full and speedy recovery for the two injured men,” she said.

“To the bereaved family we offer heartfelt condolences on this devastating loss. We are gravely concerned at the prospect of further escalation of violence.”

There had been no arrests by time of publication.