Raafat Maglad, who is in his 70s, checked himself out of hospital and returned to London Central Mosque in Regent’s Park for afternoon prayers, less than 24 hours after being stabbed there. A 29-year-old man is in custody after he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after he was tackled by worshippers. With a dressing still on the “very deep cut” on his neck and his right arm in a sling, Mr Maglad told reporters: “I forgive him. I feel very sorry for him.”
Mr Maglad, who is originally from Sudan, said he thought he had seen the attacker previously worshipping at the mosque. Describing how the attack unfolded, he said: “We were praying and I just felt somebody hit me from behind. He didn’t say anything. “I just felt blood flowing from my neck and that’s it, they rushed me to the hospital. Everything happened all of a sudden.” Mr Maglad, who has been the muezzin for 30 years, said as a Muslim he does not hold any hatred in his heart and that it was “very important” for him to attend Friday prayers. “If I miss it, I just miss something very important. It is very important for us as Muslims,” he added.
(Extracted from:independent.co.uk)
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