Imam ‘gave his life for God’ on a cold city street. Mourners demand peace.
A group gathered outside a Newark mosque Wednesday night to remember a community faith leader who was earlier fatally shot outside the building[1].
Imam Hassan Sharif, of the Masjid Muhammad mosque, died at University Hospital at 2:20 p.m., Mayor Ras Baraka and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed.
The shooting was reported around 6:15 a.m.[2] outside the mosque at South Orange Avenue and Camden Street, police said
About 200 people gathered in front of Masjid Muhammad Wednesday night and linked arms in a symbolic call for unity just a few feet from where the 52-year-old Newark resident was struck down by a killer who remains at large.
“United we stand, and divided we fall,” Sharif Amen Hotep told crowd before leading them in a call-and-response that filled the cold night air on South Orange Avenue.
“Peace in the streets!” he shouted. “Stop the violence! Stop the shooting! Stop the killing!”
It’s a chant that’s been heard so many times on so many street corners in Newark.
Another shooting death, and another unity circle set up to call for peace. But this time it was one of the city’s leading peace activists who was the victim.
Sharif had joined many unity circles prior to his death, organizers said Wednesday night.
“One of the clergy members who marched in the streets with us, who fought in the streets with us, who marched and rallied with us against senseless violence,” said Bashir Akinyele, a Weequahic High School teacher and member of the Newark Anti-violence Coalition as he urged people to form a circle and join hands. “I had to come out here today.”
Another local Muslim leader, Abdul Haqq Muhammad, quoted from both the Koran and the Bible, and urged people to focus on peace. He called Sharif “a civilizer and a light-giver.”
“Imam Hassan gave his life for God,” he said.
A bit later he added, “our brother Imam Hassan is gone.
But how are we to serve now?”
Newark Public Safety Director Fritz G. Frage said Sharif was the Imam of Masjid Muhammad Mosque for five years, and that he advocated non-violence in Newark.
“He was a community activist who protested against gun violence,” said Frage. “He supported efforts to keep our city safe. His is a deep loss that the city will mourn.”
Adbul Haqq Muhammad, student minister at Muhammad Mosque 25, speaks while holding a Quran during a prayer and peace rally for Imam Hassan Sharif at Masjid Muhammad Newark mosque on Wednesday, Jan.
3, 2024. Sharif was fatally shot outside Masjid Muhammad mosque early Wednesday morning.Julian Leshay | For NJ Advance Media
Sharif had also worked as a transportation security officer at Newark Liberty International Airport since 2006, a TSA spokesperson confirmed.
As of Wednesday afternoon, investigators did not have a suspect and had not found any evidence that suggested the attack was motivated by Muslim bias, authorities said.
“We do not yet know the motivation for this crime, and while we are not yet at liberty to discuss the progress of our ongoing investigation, the evidence collected thus far does not indicate this was an act motivated bias or an act of domestic terrorism,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said at a Wednesday afternoon press conference.
Platkin’s office and Essex County Prosecutor’s Office are assisting city police with the investigation and working to identify suspects, officials said.
There were frequent calls for the police to find the killer and bring him to justice.
But there were also calls for people in the community to help police in solving the crime — or for the killer to turn himself in.
“The killer of Imam Sharif is the business of us all,” Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver told the crowd.
West Ward Councilman Dupre’ Kelly urged people to keep a clear head, and to not let their minds get “clouded.” He asked people to join together and take back the streets, to find hope amid the heartbreak at the loss of another man of peace.
“There is a lot of powerful people in this circle,” he said. “Stand up. Stand strong, and stand with the children of Newark.”
CAIR-NJ, a Muslim civil rights group, gave its condolences following the news of the Imam’s death.
“Imam Hassan was a beacon of leadership and excellence. We are devastated at the news of his killing,” CAIR-NJ Communications Manager Dina Sayedahmed said. “We are praying for the Imam, his family and loved ones, and his congregation, and we ask everyone to do the same.”
The organization also said mosques should remain vigilant.
“While the perpetrator’s motive remains unknown 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,” Sayedahmed said.
Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said the Essex County Crime Stoppers Program is offering a £25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Anyone with information was told to call 973-621-4111.
The prosecutor’s office was also seeking tips and urged anyone who could aid in the investigation to call 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.
Imam Nuruddeen Ali, center, speaks during a prayer and peace rally for Imam Hassan Sharif at Masjid Muhammad Newark mosque on Wednesday, Jan.
3, 2024.
Sharif was fatally shot outside Masjid Muhammad mosque early Wednesday morning.Julian Leshay | For NJ Advance Media
Reporter Nicolas Fernandes contributed to this report.
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Chris Sheldon may be reached at [email protected].[4]
References
- ^ fatally shot outside the building (www.nj.com)
- ^ The shooting was reported around 6:15 a.m. (www.nj.com)
- ^ NJ.com (www.nj.com)
- ^ [email protected] (www.nj.com)