A Muslim surgeon who treated victims of the Manchester Arena bombing said he has forgiven a man who stabbed him in the neck outside a mosque, setting an exceptional display of foresightedness, kindness and maturity.
Dad-of-three Nasser Kurdy was slashed as he walked into an Islamic Centre for mid-afternoon prayers.
The imam, who treated victims of the Manchester Arena bombing in May, suffered a 3cm wound.
Consultant Nasser, 58, said: “God was merciful to me. It could be a nerve, an artery, a vein, the gullet. He is not representative of what this country stands for. I have absolutely no anger or hate or anything negative towards him. I have declared it, I have totally forgiven him.”
Nasser said it needed highlighting that hate crimes against Muslims had increased after atrocities such as the Ariana Grande concert bombing which killed 22 and injured dozens.
He added: “The climate is very threatening, very worrying.”
A 54-year-old man and 32-year-old are being questioned by police over the attack at Altrincham Islamic Centre in Hale, Cheshire, on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, thousands of Muslims and other faiths will unite in London on October 1 to march against Islamic State.
Officers were called to Altrincham and Hale Muslim Association on Grove Lane at around 5.50pm on Sunday following reports a man had been stabbed.
Video footage from inside the mosque showed Mr Kurdy, a father-of-three and consultant orthopaedic surgeon, stemming the bleeding from his wound before the emergency services arrived.
He was rushed to Wythenshawe Hospital where he was treated by colleagues before being allowed home.
Speaking from his home in Hale, Trafford, Mr Kurdy – who treated seriously-injured victims of the Manchester Arena bombing immediately after the atrocity – thanked the ‘absolutely brilliant’ emergency services.
“It’s shocking something like this can happen within our community.
“I was just going to the centre on Sunday evening on my own for mid-afternoon prayers. I was a couple of minutes late and only just entered the grounds when it happened.bIt was painful. As a surgeon, I could tell immediately none of the vital structures were affected.
“I just put pressure on my neck. I probably only bled a little bit. Looking back I was pragmatic about it because of my profession and my age.=
“I would say I’m extremely lucky. You have major nerves in your neck that work your arm. None have been affected.
“You have vessels going up to your head. None of those have been affected. It could have gone to my lungs. It could have involved nerves along my spine and it could have gone into the neck itself.
Married Mr Kurdy – who has two sons, aged 13 and 20, and a daughter aged 22 – is a UK national of Jordanian and Syrian heritage.
He is vice-chair of the Altrincham and Hale Islamic Association which itself is part of the Altrincham Interfaith Group.
