Members of the Christian community who agreed to be interviewed on Tuesday said the stabbing was the spark that detonated community anger, but the fuse was lit long ago.
Christians, who had long been the target of religious persecution in the Middle East, had sought refuge and anonymity in the suburbs of western Sydney, they said. The attack shattered the illusion of safety.
An Assyrian community member outside the church on Tuesday told the Herald her community had left Iraq because, in part, of attacks on Christians by the Muslim majority.
Candles line the fence of the Christ The Good Shepherd church in Wakeley.Credit: Oscar Colman
“It happened there, now it’s happening here. People are scared, you don’t expect to see things like that in Australia,” she said.
All the Christians who spoke with the Herald on Tuesday were effusive in their praise of the bishop, who they described as a peaceful and passionate man who inspired them in their faith.
“I’ve known him for a long time,” said a Lebanese Maronite Christian woman who asked to be referred to only by her first name, Jasmine.
“When I heard about it, everyone was just heartbroken.”
Coming just two days after the Bondi Junction attack, the community was fearful for their safety, she said. While she was adamant she would still attend the church, she said she would need security guards there to feel safe.
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