Ahmed Al-Ahmed, the tobacco shop owner who was wounded after disarming one of the alleged Bondi gunmen during Sunday's massacre, has received more than $2.5 million in donations from around the world for his courage and heroism.
As he was presented with a cheque for $2,533,585 in his hospital bed, he had three words to say: "I deserve it?"
Influencer Zachery Dereniowski, who presented the GoFundMe placard, asked Al-Ahmed for his message to the donors.
"Stand with each other, all human beings," Al-Ahmed said, raising a fist. "And forget everything bad [in the past]."
"And keep going to save lives."
When he intervened in the attack, which claimed 15 lives during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, he did it "from the heart," he said.
"Everyone was happy," he said. "They deserve to enjoy. And it's their right."
"This country best country in the world," he added.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the Syrian-born man at Sydney's St George Hospital earlier this week, praising him as "the best of our country".
'Can't fight hate with hate'
Al-Ahmed was part of a broader wave of Sydneysiders who responded to the violence by protecting those around them and calling for unity among Australia’s diverse communities.
Early on Friday morning, hundreds of people paddled out from Bondi Beach to pay tribute to the victims.
An online flyer for the event welcomed people of all backgrounds, highlighting that "diversity is our strength".
Amandeep Singh-Bola, a bystander who helped police restrain one of the alleged shooters, told SBS News he was comforted by the way people of different cultures helped each other after the attack.
He urged Australians to remember in the coming weeks that you "can't fight hate with hate".
Amar Singh is president of Turbans 4 Australia, a Sikh-led charity organisation that provides food and emergency goods to people in need, "regardless of their race, religion or ethnicity".
The group has been handing out meals at Bondi Pavilion this week.
"We spoke to the council. They gave us the permission to set up a food store here with some rice and curry, bananas and water and snacks," Singh told SBS News.
"Because a lot of people are sort of not looking after themselves because they're going through all that grief."
Amar Singh is president of Turbans 4 Australia, a Sikh-led charity organisation. Source: SBS News / Phoebe Deas
"But also to take a stance against this terrorist to say: 'This is not on. This is my country, my beach, my city. You're not allowed to do this and we will not be putting up with this'."
Concerns about social cohesion, Islamophobic backlash
The acts of kindness come amid heightened fears of Islamophobic backlash and broader concerns about social cohesion, as both Muslim and Jewish leaders warn against collective blame.
Police believe Naveed and Sajid Akram, the father and son accused of carrying out the terrorist attack, were motivated by the ideology of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) group. The older Akram was shot dead by police.
In the aftermath of the attack, a disturbing post circulated on social media calling for Cronulla riots-inspired violence later this month targeting Middle Eastern people, raising fears of renewed racial unrest.
Jack Boyd, mayor of the Sutherland Shire Council, has condemned the post, saying it was not indicative of his community's sentiment "at all".
"The Sutherland Shire is a place for everyone, so to see Cronulla being used in this way, it breaks my heart and I think that it's something that our community feels really disgusted about," he said.
Meanwhile, a Jewish bakery in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills said it was shutting down in the wake of the massacre, citing safety concerns.
"One thing has become clear — it is no longer possible to make outwardly, publicly, proudly Jewish places and events safe in Australia," a notice in Avner's bakery window read.
As the government debates how to legislate changes that combat antisemitism and hate speech, many Australians are raising their voices to embrace the Jewish community and lower the temperature.
Gurmeet Tuli, president of Little India Australia, told SBS Hindi it's important to let Australia's Jewish community know that there are millions of Australians standing with them.
"In this time of grief, we all have to show solidarity," Tuli said.
"We have to come together, we have to show the strength of our multiculturalism. Social cohesion is very important in this situation."
Australian National Imams Council spokesperson Bilal Rauf stressed that the hateful ideology of groups like the self-proclaimed Islamic State group should not be mistaken as Islam.
"Muslims have faced the ISIS scourge," he told SBS News. "Many Muslims have died at the hands of ISIS, because they are ultimately anti-Muslim as well."
Share
