Tuesday night’s shooting outside the Mayfair masjid has rattled the Muslim community and there are now increased concerns around the safety of musallees. A 40 year old Ethiopian national was allegedly accosted by two suspects and shot dead as he left the Jumuah masjid after Maghrib prayers. Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said the incident occurred at 7pm.

“When he went back to the mosque he was followed by these suspects. He died at the scene,” said Dlamini.
“One civilian was also wounded in the neck and he has been taken to the hospital.”

In a statement, the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa expressed its condolences to the family of the deceased, his colleagues and associates.

“A mosque, just like any other place of worship, is sacred and a sanctuary for all members of the community, as a place of retreat, in prayers and devotions. Together with its surroundings, it should be preserved as a protected zone that remains sanctified and safe for the community,” said Maulana Ebrahim Bham, secretary general of the Jamiatul Ulama.

“The heinous crime of this murder, to the level of brutality that has been reported, within the precincts of a place of worship, highlights the gravity of criminal elements and level of violence that simmers within our communities and now threatens to spill-over into sacred spaces.”

Bham urged the relevant stakeholders and community leaders to come together to stem the tide of violent crimes that are gripping neighbourhoods.

“It is our hope that the law enforcement agencies will conclusively investigate this incident and apprehend the perpetrators of this crime, who should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

While media reports state that the incident could be related to the tension between the Somali and Ethiopian community, Bham urged the media refrain from speculative statements that would “erroneously prejudge the motive behind the murder, and, therefore, unnecessarily heighten uneasiness within the community.”

The Media Review Network has appealed to all the relevant South African role players and the so-called “terror experts” not to lead to unsolicited assumptions and speculation.

“We hope the media reporters who thrive on sensationalism would be careful not to climb onto the Islamophobia bandwagon. The MRN calls for calm from all sides and to allow the law enforcement authorities to complete their investigations without prejudice and in an atmosphere free of emotions and speculations.”

The Mayfair shooting is the latest in a string of violent incidents at mosques over the past year. In Verulam in Durban last year, a group of unknown gunmen stormed into the Imam Hussain masjid in Ottawa, killing one person and wounding others.

In Cape Town, on the first day of Ramadan, two musallees were killed during a bloody stabbing at the Malmesbury mosque. In November, a 30-year-old man was shot and killed and an imam was injured in an attack on a Khayelitsha masjid. The four men had reportedly opened fire while worshippers were praying.
Police say the motive for the latest shooting is not yet known. VOC