A Mosque Imam fell victim to a fatal shooting outside his place of worship in Newark, New Jersey, early Wednesday morning. Authorities, still in the early stages of the investigation, have yet to identify any suspects or ascertain the motive behind this tragic incident.
Imam Hassan Sharif was killed at a mosque in Newark-Reuters
Matthew Platkin, New Jersey’s Attorney General, addressed the media, stating that current evidence does not suggest the shooting was a hate crime or an act of domestic terrorism. However, Platkin acknowledged the growing concerns of religious bias incidents in New Jersey, prompting increased law enforcement presence at various places of worship, especially mosques and synagogues, since October 7th.
Yesterday, a leader in the Newark Muslim community was shot and killed outside of Masjid Muhammad.
We cannot – and will not – accept gun violence as normal. Not outside a place of worship and not anywhere in this State. pic.twitter.com/lSAihLiu7F
— Attorney General Matt Platkin (@NewJerseyOAG) January 4, 2024
The victim, Imam Hassan Sharif, was attacked shortly after 6 a.m. while in his vehicle near the Muhammad Mosque. He succumbed to his injuries in a local hospital later that afternoon, as confirmed by Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens at a Wednesday press briefing.
This incident occurs amidst a rise in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents in the United States, following the October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel, leading to intense Israeli retaliations in the Gaza Strip. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, responding to these heightened tensions, issued security guidelines in December for religious communities, emphasizing the importance of having a security plan and coordination with local communities.
New Jersey’s Director of Public Safety, Fritz Frag, reiterated Platkin and Stephens’ statements regarding the absence of evidence pointing to a bias-motivated shooting. Still, he assured that investigators are rigorously pursuing all leads in their quest for justice.
