Islamic religious leaders have appealed for calm in South Africa, following an attack on the Hussein Mosque in Ottawa, Verulam, north of Durban.
Three unknown men stormed the mosque – armed with knives – leaving one person dead and two others wounded.
The attack, at a place of worship, has sparked outrage across various religious communities.
One of the victims has been released from hospital, and the person who died in the attack, Abbas Essop, has been laid to rest.
Leading Islamic cleric, Moulana Aftab Haider, has described the incident as a heinous and senseless crime that tainted the sanctity of the mosque…
“We also appeal to all the members of our community, Shia Muslim Community and also… Muslim Community to practice restraint and keep calm. I have absolutely no doubt in definition of terrorism, to regard this crime as a terrorist crime. First of all, it’s an attack of the sanctity of the place of worship… number two, its indiscriminate killing of innocent people purely based on their religious faith and beliefs. It has all the hallmarks of ISIS and style of operations in Iraq and Syria. I’m not claiming… an investigations is going on…. that they were linked to a particular network or what. It would be too early to comment on that, but their actions speak of their mentality…
