The terror attack that transpired in Finsbury Park of north London yesterday could have taken a much darker road had it not been for one man, imam Mohammed Mohmoud, who has been regarded as the hero of the day.
In the midst of anger, confusion and chaos that enveloped a growing crowd who had their fists out – ready to turn on the perpetrator behind the van attack – Mahmoud along with “a group of brothers” successfully diffused the situation.
“Do not touch him!” were the words that echoed as Mahmoud stepped in to protect the 48-year-old suspect and urged the crowd to remain patient until the authorities arrive, The Guardian reported.
But whilst speaking with reporters following the incident, the imam of the Muslim Welfare Centre humbly noted that he had not acted alone in preventing a potentially life-threatening situation, and subsequently saving more lives.
“It wasn’t me alone; there were a group of brothers. They were calm and collected and managed to calm people down and to extinguish any flames of anger or mob rule that would have taken charge had this group of mature brothers not stepped in,” he shared with CNN.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Muslim Welfare Centre Toufik Kacimi, relayed to CNN that Mahmoud promptly grabbed the perpetrator as the angry crowd were attempting to assault him.
“But he saved him, and kept him safe until the police arrived,” he said.
Another eyewitness who saw Mahmoud’s commendable display of courage, 28-year-old Hussain Ali shared with Associated Press that the mosque’s imam continued to protect the perpetrator and demanded people to not lay a hand on him.
Mahmoud recounted that the incident came to his attention shortly after completing his prayers when a distressing Muslim brother came in the mosque and informed them of the tragedy that unravelled outside the Muslim Welfare Centre.
“We found about 15 to 20 people on the scene tending to the injured, administering CPR on the brother who is now deceased, and three people restraining the assailant,” he recalled.
“We found a group of people quickly started to collect around the assailant. And some tried to hit him, either kicks or punches. By God’s grace we manage to surround him and to protect him from any harm. We stopped all forms of attack and abuse towards him that were coming from every angle.
“A police van drove past so we flagged them down and we told them the situation. There’s a man, he’s restrained. He mowed down a group of people and there’s a mob attempting to hurt him. If you don’t take him, God forbid he might be seriously hurt.”
Mohmoud insisted that the Muslim community in Finsbury Park is mild-mannered, calm and are not associated with violence and added that their mosques are incredibly peaceful – so much so that people were praying for the victims of the attack, and ignited Mohmoud’s strong hope that the people’s unity to fight against extremism never falters.
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan applauded Mahmoud’s action and deemed it as an exemplary characteristic trait of “a good faith leader and a food Muslim leader.”
BBC reported that the Finsbury Park attack is the fourth attack to have occurred in London in the course of three months, after the Westminster attack, Manchester attack and London Bridge attack.
To reiterate, no religion teaches its followers of violence and calamity and in the face of tragedy, let’s all do our best to practice patience as violence is never the answer to any predicament.
– Malaysian Digest
