Inter-religious council shows support for Durban North mosque after discovery of explosive devices
No arrests have yet been made following the dumping of two homemade explosive devices at a mosque in Durban North.
MEMBERS of the KwaZulu-Natal Inter-Religious Council met with residents and congregants of Musjid ur Rahmaan on Thursday (July 11) to show their solidarity following the discovery of two homemade explosive devices placed at the mosque.
The homemade devices were placed inside the courtyard of the mosque in the early hours of Monday morning in what is being described as an ‘act of terror’.
Greenwood Park police and later bomb technicians from the SAPS confirmed the devices consisted of commercial explosives.
Related story: Homemade explosive devices found outside Durban North mosque
Members of the council and leaders from the mosque shared a meal on Thursday and spoke on how peace united people from different backgrounds.
“Religious spaces should be safe spaces for every faith community, where worshippers can gather free of fear or intimidation,” explained Hailey Fudu, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahai’s of eThekwini and a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Inter-Religious Council.
“Although at this stage we are unaware of the motives behind this incident, it has caused great distress. Durban has a proud history of religious tolerance.”
Ryaz Rosay representing the Durban North Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association was also in attendance and echoed Fudu’s sentiments.
“There has been an outpouring of support for the mosque from the residents of Durban North. We were all shocked to hear of explosives being put at a place of worship even though the motives at this stage are unknown. We are grateful to the council for their support. We also had someone from one of the local synagogues offering additional security. It just goes to show we are united by our faith and peace,” he said.
In a statement, Provincial SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said investigations are ongoing to trace the suspects involved.
“The devices were not set up to explode. It is suspected that the men were en route to an unknown location with the devices when they were disturbed by the security officer. Investigations to locate the suspects are ongoing. We commend the security officer who found the devices as he did not touch them and immediately alerted authorities,” he said.
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