A Muslim imam of a mosque in New York City and his associate have been shot dead while walking along together following afternoon prayers, authorities say. Police said that the victims, identified as Imam Maulana Akonjee, 55, and Thara Uddin, 64, were both wearing religious garb at the time of shooting.
Members of the Bangladeshi Muslim community served by the mosque said they want the shootings to be treated as a hate crime. More than 100 people attended a rally on Saturday night and chanted “We want justice!”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, held a news conference on Saturday near the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid, where the two men had prayed. Kobir Chowdhury, a leader at another local mosque, said: “Read my lips: This is a hate crime” directed at Islam.