Asad Shah 'murder': Muslim shopkeeper's family urge community to strive for 'peace and harmony' in tribute
Mr Shah was killed four hours after posting a message on Facebook wishing all Christians a happy Easter
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
The family of a man killed outside his shop in Scotland have paid tribute to the “beloved” husband, son, brother and friend.
Asad Shah, 40, was found injured in Glasgow on Thursday and a man from Bradford has been charged with his murder.
Police described the incident as “religiously prejudiced” and confirmed both men were Muslims.
In a statement, his family said they had been devastated by the “incomprehensible act”, adding: “A person’s religion, ethnicity, race, gender or socioeconomic background never mattered to Asad.
“He met everyone with the utmost kindness and respect because those are just some of the many common threads that exist across every faith in our world.
“He was a brilliant man, recognising that the differences between people are vastly outweighed by our similarities.
“And he didn’t just talk about this, he lived it each and every day, in his beloved community of Shawlands and his country of Scotland.”
Mr Shah was killed four hours after posting a message on Facebook wishing all Christians a happy Easter and belonged to the Ahmadi Islamic community which promotes “love for all, hatred for none”.
The family said they had been touched by the “spontaneous and deeply moving” response by the local community in Shawlands, Glasgow and beyond, who have launched vigils, petitions and sent messages of condolence.
“One of our brightest lights has been extinguished but our love for all mankind and hope for a better world in which we can all live in peace and harmony, as so emphatically embodied by Asad, will endure and prevail,” the statement said.
“Asad left us a tremendous gift and we must continue to honour that gift by loving and taking care of one another.”