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When Terror Failed—and Humanity Prevailed at Bondi
12-23-2025
The Bondi attack will remain a dark and painful chapter in Australia’s history. An act of antisemitic terror shattered a moment of joy, leaving families grieving and a nation shaken. Yet history will also remember Bondi for something else: the unmistakable triumph of human conscience over hatred, and the powerful moral leadership shown by Muslim Australians who stood—through words and deeds—with the Jewish community.
At the heart of this story are two Muslim heroes whose actions cut through fear and chaos, reminding Australians of what courage truly looks like.
One of them is Ahmad Al Ahmad, a 43-year-old Syrian-born Australian fruit shop owner. As the attack unfolded, Ahmad did what most could scarcely imagine: instead of fleeing, he ran toward danger. According to the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), Ahmad single-handedly disarmed one of the attackers, putting his own life at grave risk to protect others. ANIC rightly described him as “a national hero,” noting that he sacrificed his own safety for strangers. The Grand Mufti of Australia, Dr. Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, along with community leaders, later visited Ahmad to honour his bravery and pray for his recovery.
Equally compelling is the story of Mohammed Rahmat Pasha, an Indian Muslim living in Australia. As gunfire erupted at Bondi, Mohammed arrived while the attack was still unfolding. He saw the shooter, the injured, and the panic—but chose action over fear. Ignoring the danger around him, he immediately began assisting the wounded, helping victims reach safety and offering aid in the most terrifying of circumstances. His instinct was not self-preservation, but service to others.
These two men did not know the faith, background, or identity of those they were saving. What they knew was simpler and deeper: innocent lives were in danger, and someone had to act.
Their heroism is not incidental to their faith—it is rooted in it. Islam teaches that the sanctity of human life is absolute. The Qur’an declares that saving one life is as if saving all of humanity (Qur’an 5:32), and that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent as “a mercy to all of creation” (Qur’an 21:107). In moments of crisis, Islamic ethics call for moral courage, justice, and compassion—values that Ahmad Al Ahmad and Mohammed Rahmat Pasha embodied instinctively.
Beyond individual acts of heroism, the response of Muslim leadership in Australia has been unequivocal and principled. The Board of Imams of Victoria, representing the Australian National Imams Council, stood alongside Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and leaders from other faiths to express solidarity with the Jewish community. In a joint multifaith statement, leaders declared:
“We are horrified by the antisemitic terror attack on innocent families celebrating Hanukkah. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims… We will not let evil tear us apart.”
The statement went further, applauding the bravery of ordinary Australians who responded in the aftermath and calling on all Victorians—of every faith and background—to reject division and stand together against racism, vilification, and violence.
This public solidarity matters. At a time when extremists seek to fracture society along religious and ethnic lines, Muslim leaders in Australia have made it clear: antisemitism is a moral evil, and violence against Jewish Australians is an attack on the values of the entire nation. Standing with the Jewish community is not a political gesture; it is a religious, ethical, and civic responsibility.
Equally critical has been ANIC’s firm rejection of attempts to associate the Bondi violence—or any act of terror—with Islam. In a detailed and forceful statement, ANIC reaffirmed that ISIS (Daesh) is an evil terrorist organisation with no connection whatsoever to Islam. Its ideology, ANIC stated, stands in complete opposition to Islamic teachings, ethics, and scholarship.
The facts are clear and often ignored: the overwhelming majority of ISIS’s victims have been Muslims themselves. From the Middle East to Africa, Muslim communities have suffered mass killings, displacement, and the destruction of mosques at the hands of this group. ANIC reminded the public that in 2017, ISIS itself listed ANIC’s senior members as targets to be killed—underscoring that Muslim religious leadership has long been on the front lines opposing extremism.
ANIC, along with leading global Islamic authorities—Al-Azhar, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Muslim World League, and others—has consistently rejected the misuse of the term “Islamic State,” insisting that the group be referred to only as ISIS or Daesh. As the council stated, there is “no legitimacy, credibility, or scholarly support for ISIS within mainstream Islam.”
In response to the Bondi tragedy, ANIC called on imams across the country to dedicate their Friday sermons to unity, harmony, and standing together as one nation. The guidance reminded Muslims that Islam demands justice even in moments of fear and anger, citing the Qur’anic command: “O you who believe, stand firmly for justice as witnesses for Allah” (Qur’an 4:135).
This is the larger lesson Bondi leaves behind. Terror seeks to provoke suspicion, collective blame, and division. It fails when communities respond with clarity, compassion, and shared moral resolve.
The courage of Ahmad Al Ahmad and Mohammed Rahmat Pasha, the solidarity of Muslim leaders with the Jewish community, and the unequivocal rejection of extremist ideologies together tell a story Australia needs to hear—and remember. In the face of hate, ordinary people chose extraordinary goodness. In the face of terror, faith became a bridge rather than a barrier.
Bondi reminds us that the true fault line in society is not between religions, but between those who choose humanity and those who reject it. And in that defining moment, humanity prevailed.
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