NewsWorldA psychotic break in a young Afghan refugee in Portugal kills two women

A psychotic break in a young Afghan refugee in Portugal kills two women

The hypothesis of a possible terrorist attack altered on Tuesday the tranquility that characterizes the city of Lisbon, an example of coexistence between different cultures and religions. Shortly before eleven in the morning, an Afghan refugee carried out an attack with a knife in the Ismaili Center of the Portuguese capital, which left two fatalities and one wounded. There was talk of the possible existence of a terrorist cell or the action of a lone wolf, but as the facts became known, everything indicates that it was an isolated act without any kind of political or religious connection, as confirmed by the Portuguese Minister of Internal Administration, José Luís Carneiro.

The attacker, Abdul Bashir, is an Afghan, is unemployed, is 29 years old and is a widower and father of three children aged 4, 7 and 9. He lives in Odivelas (around Lisbon) for a year. He arrived in Portugal under the protection of European cooperation after passing through a refugee camp in Greece, where his wife died. He has international protection status and it has been in the Lisbon Ismaili center where he has received help to study Portuguese, as well as food and support in caring for minors. “What happened has nothing to do with terrorism, it is important to contextualize the facts. Afghans come from violent societies. Carrying a knife and threatening is something almost normal in those countries where there is no security system, “José Brissos-Lino, doctor of Psychology at the Lusophone University, specialist in Psychology of Religion, explains to ABC. «He has experienced many traumas in his country, after losing his wife and now only with his children and unable to get his parents out of there. Post-traumatic stress is normal. He is probably depressed, he had already had a psychological follow-up, “adds the expert. In his opinion, there was a psychotic outbreak that implies “a break with reality. From a certain moment the person can have hallucinations, he loses his mind », he qualifies.

According to the testimonies of relatives of the victims, the attacker was in a Portuguese class inside the center and got up from his seat to attack the teacher with a large knife. His companions tried to convince him that he was not doing the right thing and he threatened to commit suicide by bringing the knife to his neck. He left the room and it was when he attacked two officials from said center who ended up dying. Mariana Jadaugy, 24, and Farana Sadrudin, 49, worked at FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance, which is part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). It was then that the police authorities were notified, who arrived at the scene in just one minute and managed to immobilize the attacker by shooting him in the leg after he refused to be arrested. Subsequently, he was transferred to the São José hospital to undergo surgery.

interfaith dialogue

Ismailism is an Islamic religious current and the Ismaili community is considered an example of coexistence in Portugal. «85% of Afghans are Sunni while the Ismailis are ultra-minority and are Shiites. In addition to being integrated into Portugal, they do not threaten anyone, they have no imperialist desire. They await the arrival of the VII Imam and then a universal religion. They defend interreligious dialogue », he emphasizes. “They don’t have problems with anyone and they do extraordinary social work“, Add. It should be remembered that Prince Aga Khan IV, spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims, obtained Portuguese nationality in 2019 and it is in Lisbon where he has his foundation headquarters located in the Ismaili Center. The foundation is part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which works hand in hand with the centre.

The Portuguese Ismaili community was in ‘shock’ on Tuesday after the events, as Faranaz Keshavjee, one of its faithful, explained to ABC. “People who were doing a remarkable job have passed away and found someone who was not well. It’s important to look at people’s mental health, regardless of their creed,” says Keshavjee, a social psychologist and anthropologist. It is a very active community, made up of 9,000 faithful, which “continues to values ​​and principles linked within the path of the Muslim Ismaili faith. It is a Portuguese community, because it came out of Mozambique; we are all Portuguese », he adds. The faithful of this community have their professional lives, but there is an important group of people who work as volunteers. Keshavjee also points out the great wave of emigration that comes from other countries that are Ismailis but were not born in Portuguese territory. “We have worked with the Government to respond to the demands of war refugees. There is a very close and very healthy job », he points out.

The Portuguese Ismaili community was in ‘shock’ on Tuesday after the events, as Faranaz Keshavjee, one of its faithful, explained to ABC

In addition to providing support to the families of the victims, in Portugal there is concern about the future of the three children of the attacker, who will go to court once he is discharged from hospital.

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