Sheikh Mahmoud Gedel
Islamic scholar and member of the National Peace Council (NPC), Sheikh Mahmoud Gedel has condemned last week’s attack on a mosque in New Zealand.
The attack, which happened in the city of Christchurch, claimed 50 lives during Friday prayers last week.
This was after an armed man opened fire on Muslims who were praying without any provocation.
Australian and white supremacist, Brenton Tarrant, 28, who committed the dastardly act, is currently held in a specialist facility and has been placed under 24-hour observation for his own safety.
Even though he condemned similar attacks on Christians and members of other sects, Sheikh Gedel believes there is what he called a “conspiracy among various global interest to declare war on the Quran.”
That, he said, “will never help the world to live in peace. Islam is a peaceful religion practised by peace-loving people, in business, politics, research and culture, Muslims are contributing enormously.”
He told DAILY GUIDE that “if there are crisis in the world of human beings, find the solutions in global systems; you don’t attribute human failures to Islam, Islamophobia is not a solution to global problems and global failures.”
Sheikh Gedel, therefore, described the Christchurch mosque shootings as “a debacle against world peace” and condemned it without reservations.
“It was an act of cowardice disgraceful to civilizations.”
By Charles Takyi-Boadu