Nasser Kurdy, a consultant surgeon in Wythenshawe, has forgiven the man who stabbed him (Picture: PA)

A Muslim surgeon who worked tirelessly to try and save the lives of Manchester attack victims has been stabbed in the neck outside a mosque in an Islamophobic attack.

Nasser Kurdy, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, was stabbed from behind as he walked into Altrincham Islamic Centre in Hale, Cheshire just before 6pm on Sunday.

The 58-year-old doctor suffered a three centimetre wound to the back of his neck and was rushed to Wythenshawe Hospital for treatment, which is also where he works.

Today the Syrian-Jordanian father-of-three said that despite being terrified last night, he had now forgiven his attacker, and that he feels no anger towards him.




‘He is not representative of what this country stands for,’ Kurdy said. ‘I have absolutely no anger or hate or anything negative towards him. I have declared it, I have totally forgiven him. He could be a marginalised person within his own community.’

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Mr Kurdy, who was preparing to go back to work to treat his patients today, said that he felt lucky to have survived the attack.

‘God was merciful to me yesterday. It could be a nerve, an artery, a vein, the gullet. The neck is the contact between the body and your head, but fortunately it was just the muscle.

Theresa May to defy Boris Johnson over 'reckless and irresponsible' Brexit bill

‘As I entered the grounds of the premises, I felt that pain and the blow to my neck.

‘I turned around and saw this gentleman in a threatening pose. I did feel threatened, I did feel vulnerable.’

Fearing that his attacker may follow him as he rushed inside the mosque, he grabbed a chair and dashed outside to protect himself – but the man had fled.

Police later made two arrests, and confirmed that they were treating the incident as a hate crime.

The mosque’s security is now going to be reviewed (Picture: LNP)

Mr Kurdy has worked as a doctor for four decades since coming to Britain to study medicine in 1977. He worked in Perth, Dundee and Northampton before settling in Manchester in 1991.

He was going to the mosque for mid-afternoon prayers and a committee meeting, as he is a lay imam, when the attacker struck.

When is flu season in the UK?

Now, people at the mosque are apparently frightened, and the building’s security is going to be reviewed.

In the past the same mosque has had a brick thrown through its windows, racist graffiti painted on its walls, and one of its rubbish bins set alight.

The doctor said he felt hate crimes against Muslims were escalating because of terror incidents, such as the Manchester Arena bombing in May and the Parsons Green Tube attack two weeks ago.

Police rushed to the mosque and later made two arrests (Picture: LNP)

‘The climate is very threatening, very worrying,’ he said. ‘Something could have happened, horrible, yesterday. The atmosphere that is around has allowed for that.

‘There needs to be acknowledgement that hate crimes against Muslims are on the increase and they are becoming more physical.

‘It’s not just someone saying something verbally, or somebody pulling a headscarf or what have you, it is now taking that extra step and I think that extra step is what has started worrying and frightening people.



‘There are very senseless acts of insanity taking place, which can only fuel anger and hate. We can’t hide away from what happened in Manchester, what happened around the country and the recent Tube incident. That will fuel hatred and anger.

‘People need to know there are Muslims like myself. I’ve worked hard, I’m a surgeon, I treat people. I have a wonderful community. My colleagues at work respect me and value my contribution.

‘I don’t think I can see anybody more integrated than I am. I get invited to sit on services in the synagogue, service on Remembrance Sunday, I’m always in the church at All Saints.

‘I’m sure people don’t get to see that, all they get to see is those crackpots.’