In the wake of the deadly attack on the Notre Dame Church in Nice, France, the Mufti of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, or MUIS, has expressed his “prayers and solidarity” for those affected in the Christian community.

Three people, including at least one church worker, were killed by a knife-wielding assailant in the attack on Thursday morning (France time) on October 29, 2020. The suspect, who has been seriously wounded by the police, is a 21-year-old Tunisian national who had arrived in France only earlier this month.

The attack has been condemned as an act of terrorism by French President Emmanuel Macron.

READ: NO PLACE FOR IDEOLOGY OF HATE IN THE NAME OF RELIGION, SAYS NCCS

“We read with deep anguish and concern (about) the recent horrific murders,” wrote the Mufti of Singapore, Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, 44, in an open letter posted on the Harmony Centre’s Facebook page on October 30.

“Once again, radical elements and extremists have committed heinous crimes on innocent individuals and in the most sacred of places. We have seen far too many atrocities that desecrate the sanctity of places of worship and target worshippers in recent years.”

Dr Nazirudin, who called the attacks “an affront to the sacredness of the human soul (and) an assault on Islam”, reaffirmed the importance of inter-religious relations in multi-religious Singapore.

“It is important that our society remains committed to shared values and to continue to work with each other with kindness and compassion so that peace and harmony prevail,” he wrote.

“We will continue to work tirelessly with the Christian community to affirm our commitment to the bonds of faith and friendship.”

Those of different religious groups in Singapore must strengthen their trust in each other to prevent such incidents from ever taking place here, said Dr Nazirudin.

“We offer our sincerest prayers and solidarity to those whose lives were taken unjustly, to those injured and to their loved ones. May their sorrows heal and may the ones whose lives were lost never be forgotten.”