Sydney church stabbing: Attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at Wakeley may be ... trends now
An Assyrian Orthodox Church bishop who was stabbed during a livestreamed church service in Sydney had spoken critically about Islam in a video recorded four months ago.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in Sydney's west just after 7pm on Monday when a 16-year-old boy walked up to the altar and allegedly stabbed him multiple times.
On a separate video of the aftermath of the alleged terror attack, the boy said in Arabic 'If they didn't insult my prophet, I wouldn't have come here. If he didn't involve himself in my religion, I would not have come here.'
Churchgoers said he also used the Islamic phrase 'Allahu Akbar' repeatedly.
The teenager's comment about an attack on his prophet was possibly referring to the bishop's appearance on a video made last December for the PBD Podcast, hosted by American broadcaster Patrick Bet-David.
On the podcast, Bishop Emmanuel questioned Islamic beliefs around Jesus, who he calls Isa, and said 'the truth hurts'.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley in Sydney's west just after 7pm on Monday when a 16-year-old boy walked up to the altar and allegedly stabbed him multiple times
'Your book (the Koran) says that Isa, son of Mary, went up to Heaven alive and he will come back to judge the dead and the living.
'If I ask a Muslim "Who judges?", they will say God.
'Well, you're telling me this prophet (Muhammad) will judge, so which is which? Has the prophet taken the role of God, has God gone on vacation and he's come and taken his