An imam was shot in front of his mosque in Newark, N.J., on Wednesday morning.
The shooting took place around 6:15 a.m. outside the Masjid Muhammad mosque — minutes after the 6 a.m. morning prayer.
The imam, identified as Hassan Sharif by a Muslim advocacy group, was taken to University Hospital and is in critical condition, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé told USA Today.
Catherine Adams, a spokesperson for Newark Public Safety, told the paper that the shooting is still under investigation and "No suspect is in custody at this time."
The motive for the shooting is unclear at this time, but there have been multiple attacks on Muslims in the United States since the start of Israel's war against Hamas.
Dina Sayedahmed, a spokesperson for The Council on American-Islamic Relations in New Jersey, told the paper that Sharif is a "beacon of leadership in his community."
"He is now in critical condition and we are praying for his full and speedy recovery. We ask others to do the same," Sayedahmed said. "As always, and irrespective of this specific incident, we advise all mosques to keep their doors open but remain cautious especially given the recent spike in anti-Muslim bigotry."
USA Today reported that "in early December, CAIR said the group received 2,171 complaints of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate over the last two months – a 172% increase over same period in the previous year.
A Vermont man was arrested on November 27 for the shooting of Palestinian students Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmed, all 20 years old, in Burlington the day before. Jason Eaton has just been arraigned for the shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont. He is charged with three counts of 2nd degree attempted murder. He is being held without bail. pic.twitter.com/y7vsBA7hid
— Abed A. Ayoub (@aayoub) November 27, 2023
The victims had been visiting one of the victim's relatives for Thanksgiving and were wearing Keffiyehs — traditional Palestinian scarves, according to the Burlington Police Department.
Burlington police chief Jon Murad said that Eaton stepped off his porch, pulled out a gun, and opened fire on the students. He then fled the scene on foot.
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger called the shooting a “horrific, unprovoked attack” and “one of the most shocking and disturbing events in this city’s history.”
Jason Eaton, 48, has pleaded "not guilty" to three counts of second-degree attempted murder.
In October, Wadea Al-Fayoume, a six-year-old Palestinian boy, was fatally stabbed, and his mother, Hanaan Shahin, was injured when their landlord, 71-year-old Joseph Czuba, showed up at their home and attacked them. Wadea Al-Fayoume, a six-year-old Palestinian boy was stabbed 26 times by Joseph Czuba with a "military-style knife" in Chicago over the weekend.
Czuba also stabbed the child's mother leaving her in intensive care. It is believed by detectives that the killing was linked to… pic.twitter.com/h802LGmFVe
— MintPress News (@MintPressNews) October 16, 2023
The child was stabbed more than two dozen times during the attack. He had just recently celebrated his 6th birthday.
Law enforcement has said that Czuba was motivated by the war in the Middle East.
Czuba has pleaded not guilty to hate crime and murder charges.
