Sydney Muslims refuse funeral rites for Bondi massacre attackers

Sydney Muslim leaders say they will refuse to perform Islamic funeral rites or receive the bodies of the Bondi terrorists as they condemn the event as a “barbaric and criminal act”.

Speaking to news.com.au, prominent voice for the Sydney Islamic community Dr Jamal Rifi said “we don’t see them [the offenders] as inside the fold of Islam or as Muslims”.

“What they have done is not condoned by any of us and it is killing innocent civilians. We know it is a verse in our book, killing an innocent civilian is the same as killing all humanity,” he said.

Currently, only the older shooter has been confirmed dead. His son remains in hospital

Dr Rifi said the incident drew comparisons to the 2014 Lindt cafe siege, which saw three deaths including the perpetrator and was also designated a terrorist incident.

“When the perpetrator died we were asked [if we were to receive his body],” Dr Rifi said.

“We refused to receive his body and we refrained and refused to perform the death rituals on his body and would refuse to accept him in any Muslim section of Rookwood cemetery. And we would do exactly the same with these people.”

Dr Rifi said the Muslim community was on high alert following the attack and would not be gathering at mosques in the coming days.

“There is an elderly lady that is well respected in our community. She passed away last night and her body is going to be washed at funeral services today. We usually do it inside the mosque with some gathering for the next three days but due to circumstances, we are not going to do that,” he said.

“They [the family] already asked for the funeral service and the mosque if they can do it at home rather than in the mosque, so we won’t have gathering in front or inside the mosque.”

Dr Rifi said he knew some of the Jewish victims personally and had sent condolences to their families.