Mosque bomb a second strike in unholy war

15 May 2018 - 07:00
By Jeff Wicks
The Imam Hussain Mosque in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal.
Image: RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP The Imam Hussain Mosque in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal.

A fatal knife attack and the failed bombing of a Shia mosque may be the first salvo in a new sectarian war in the South African Muslim community.

In South Africa‚ the Sunni denomination accounts for the majority of the Muslim population – estimated to be about 3% of the country’s 56-million people.

The Shia mosque‚ established in 2010‚ is one of only three in the country‚ and has before come under threat.

Last week’s attack‚ however‚ signalled a significant shift in the opposition and danger it faces.