A New Jersey imam was gunned down outside his mosque before fajr prayers on Wednesday, leaving authorities hunting for a shooter.
Imam Hassan Sharif was in his car when he was shot more than once near the Masjid-Muhammad Mosque in Newark, the state’s largest city, Essex County Prosecutor Ted Stephens said at a news conference. He was taken to a nearby hospital but died in the afternoon.
Sharif had been a resident imam at the local mosque for five years, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said. He remembered the imam as a leader in the interfaith community who worked to keep the city safe.
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, called Sharif a “beacon of leadership and excellence.” and said that while the shooter’s motives are unknown, the group is advising all mosques to “remain cautious” while keeping their doors open.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.
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