US Imam, Considered ‘Beacon’ In New Jersey Community, Is Fatally Shot Outside Mosque (facebook/omar suleiman)
An Imam was shot and killed on early Wednesday outside New Jersey Mosque, a US official said to AFP.
Hassan Sherif was in his vehicle when he was shot more than once outside Masjid Muhammed-Newark at around 6 am. He was taken to the hospital but was later pronounced dead in the afternoon.
New Jersey Attorney referring to the rise in Islamophobia in the country said, “At a time when bias incidents against members of the Muslim community are on the rise, we know that this act of gun violence will heighten fears and concerns in our State.”
He then added that every possible angle and lead will be investigated thoroughly. The motive of the killing remains unclear. According to the American-Islamic Relations, reports of bias incidents across Muslims across US has escalated since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
Sherif, 52, a former boxer who has worked as an officer for the Transportation Security Administration, was recently elected as the Resident Imam, reports USA Today. He was part of the city”s safe surrender program and thus mosque was one of the safe houses where fugitives turned themselves in.
Ras J.Baraka, Newark’s mayor said that the authorities would “bring the perpetrator to justice, no matter how long it takes.” “Imam Hassan Sharif stood with the people of this city, and we will stand with him and his family,” Mr. Baraka added.
The killing of Imam has spread shockwaves across the community. Hundreds of mourners gathered for a vigil in honour of Mr. Sharif.
Dina Sayedahmed, communication director for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in New Jersey, called Sharif “a beacon of leadership in his community” and said that the whole community is in shock by the news of the shooting. Many people described Sharif as a pillar in the community. As per NBC news, he has been an imam at the mosque for past five years.
The Imam earlier encountered a similar attack at the mosque on his way to morning prayers. Sharing the incident on Facebook post, he wrote, a man approached him after he got out of his car and put a gun to his head. But he was able to wrestle the gun away from the attacker.
The rise in Islamophobia now has become one of the greatest concerns in US. After the start of Israel-Hamas war, the anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate over the last two months has increased to 172%, reports CAIR.
