Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel unafraid to speak out on controversial subjects including Prophet Muhammad
The bishop stabbed in the terrorism incident at Wakeley has been billed on social media as “the most controversial bishop in history”. Read why.
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Southwestern Sydney firebrand “TikTok bishop” Mar Mari Emmanuel has never been afraid to speak out on controversial subjects – including making provocative statements that “Prophet Muhammad failed because he is dead” and that the Islamic founder “will not greet you in heaven”.
The Iraqi-born Christian leader, who is the victim at the heart of Monday night’s terrorist attack at the Christ the Good Church in Wakeley, has a massive worldwide following on social media for his conservative sermons.
Bishop Emmanual, just weeks ago, spoke out about threats made against him on social media predicting he would die within weeks.
But Bishop Emmanuel, 53, who founded the Assyrian Christian church where he was attacked, mocked the video’s dire predictions, saying he was “excited” to hear he would die within a fortnight as he wanted to be with “his Lord”, Jesus Christ and he didn’t “want to stay in this world”.
“Everything is over (to) the Lord’s capable hands…I’m not sick, I’m not dying,” the religious leader said.
“Thank the person who did this video. I didn’t know that I was dying in two weeks.
“I’m sorry guys, I’m still sitting on your heart.”
The outspoken religious leader was ordained a priest in 2009, forming his own church after a split from the traditional Ancient Church of the East, an Eastern Christian denomination, in 2014.
He’s since built up a huge online following, particularly in the USA, with his straight-speaking hard line sermons uploaded on TikTok and You Tube – praising Donald Trump, weighing into LGBT issues, describing the Covid lockdowns as “slavery”, and attacking the United Nations and Bill Gates.
Some have described him on social media, particularly his TikTok sermons, as “the most controversial bishop alive” and claim he’s had over 1.3 billion views on his collected sermons.
His church, in the strongly Assyrian community around Fairfield, takes a conservative orthodox reading of Christianity – that only Jesus Christ is the way to heaven, not other spiritual leaders.
But his comments about Islamic founder Prophet Muhammad, particularly those made late last year on a US trip in an interview with social influencer podcaster George Janko, have drawn the ire of some on social media and have been shared by ultra-right campaigners against radical Islam such as UK’s activist Tommy Robinson.
“I can assure you in heaven Mohammad will not greet you, Buddha will not greet you, Krishna will not greet you…because they will not – it will only be the one – who is the way and the truth and the light – it will be Jesus Christ of Nazareth who died for you and me,” Bishop Emmanuel said.
“We cannot claim something that is not truthful, I know truth hurts, I’m not offending people I’m speaking the truth, and if it offends you... I’m not sorry for that.”
In a discussion about religion, Bishop Emmanuel said that religions talk about laws – but fall short.
“When religions talk about laws I’ll ask them are you fulfilling that law? Of course not. Don’t tell me you have to do this…where you are failing as a leader.
“Your Prophet failed those laws,” he said on the podcast. “Your own Prophet failed them.”
“Who?” podcast host Mr Janko asks.
“Mohammed and all the other religions,” Bishop Emmanuel replied.
“And the very reason Mohammed failed because he’s dead. Their book says that.”
The Bishop describes Jesus as “Isa” and says in the Koran it says “Isa, son of Mary”, went up to Heaven alive and will return to judge the dead and the living.
“If I ask a Muslim ‘Who judges?’, they will say God.
‘Well, you’re telling me this prophet (Muhammad) will judge, so which is which? Has the prophet taken the role of God, has God gone on vacation and he’s come and taken his position?”
“Now let me ask you, my dear Muslim, if you’re claiming Isa is a prophet, then how come all the other prophets which you believe in – you believe in Moses, you believe in Isa, you believe in all the prophets of the Old Testament.
“How come none of the Old Testament prophets were referred to as ‘The word of God’, except Isa? Why?”
In the podcast the bishop also spoke about how Jesus was the son of God.
“How come all the prophets and every single human being on the face of this planet was born of an Earthly father and an Earthly mother, yet Jesus, son of Mary, was born in a virginal birth?” he said.
“He has an Earthly mother, but has no Earthly father. For his father who art in Heaven.”
“I know truth hurts. I’m not offending people, I’m speaking the truth. And if it offends you, I’m really sorry – not. I’m not sorry for that.”
In a recent sermon, uploaded in March, the Bishop also said he had a “question mark with the faith of the Islamic world”, while stating he had love and respect for Muslims.
“I don’t have a problem with the Muslim people,” he said.
“But I’ve got a question mark with the faith of the Islamic world.”
He said he would “always love my Muslim brothers and sisters”. The bishop also spoke about visiting the Gaza Strip and supporting Palestinians.
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Originally published as Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel unafraid to speak out on controversial subjects including Prophet Muhammad
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