Asad Shah death: Family hail 'brilliant man'
- Published
Asad Shah died after being found badly injured near his shop in the Shawlands area of Glasgow on Thursday
The family of a shopkeeper who died in a suspected religiously prejudiced attack have said he was a "brilliant man" whose tolerance and respect of others would live on.
Asad Shah, 40, died after being stabbed outside his shop in Glasgow's Shawlands area on Thursday night.
Tanveer Ahmed, 32, from Bradford, has been charged with his murder.
In a statement, Mr Shah's family said they were "devastated" he had been taken away by an incomprehensible act.
In a statement released by Police Scotland, the Shah family said: "On Thursday evening a beloved husband, son, brother and everyone's friend, Asad Shah, was taken away from us by an incomprehensible act. We are devastated by this loss.
"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."
'Beloved community'
Mr Shah's family said he was "a brilliant man" who recognised "that the differences between people are vastly outweighed by our similarities".
They said "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".
People took part in a silent vigil in memory of Mr Shah on Friday evening
The statement continued: "If there was to be any consolation from this needless tragedy, it came in the form of the spontaneous and deeply moving response by the good people of Shawlands, Glasgow and beyond.
"As a family, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to all who have organised and participated in the street vigils, online petitions and messages.
"You have moved us beyond words and helped us start healing sooner than we thought possible."
Mr Shah's family said that those who had taken part in remembrances for him "were Asad's family as much as we are and we will always remain with you".
Messages and flowers were placed at the scene of the vigil
The statement concluded: "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.
"Asad left us a tremendous gift and we must continue to honour that gift by loving and taking care of one another."
On Tuesday, Ahmed, 32, from Bradford, appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court charged with murdering Mr Shah.
He made no plea and was remanded in custody.
The newsagents was also cordoned off
Mr Shah was found with serious injuries outside his shop, Shah's Newsagents and Convenience Store, in Minard Road, on 24 March.
Mr Shah was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
On Friday night a silent vigil was held outside his shop attended by hundreds of people including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Hundreds of floral tributes have also been left at the scene.
A fundraising page on GoFundMe, set up to help Mr Shah's family, raised more than £100,000.