New Jersey Imam Dies After Being Shot Outside Mosque

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Facts

Imam Hassan Sharif from Masjid Muhammad-Newark mosque succumbed to his injuries and died at University Hospital in New Jersey on Wednesday afternoon, about eight hours after a shooter opened fire outside the religious building on South Orange Avenue and Camden Street.¹
Police officers reportedly found Sharif in the parking lot with bullet wounds in his abdomen and left arm. Authorities rushed him to hospital in critical condition. The victim was also a transportation security officer at Newark Liberty International Airport for nearly two decades.²
The assailant remains at large and unknown to Newark authorities. Video surveillance from the area, as well as bullet casings from the scene, are being analyzed to determine a suspect.³
As of Wednesday afternoon, the only information available was that the shooter was seen running from the scene wearing all black. Essex County Crime Stoppers are offering a $25K reward for anyone with information about the attack.⁴
While the reason behind the shooting is still under investigation, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin has stated that the evidence collected thus far doesn't indicate it was a biased or domestic terror-related incident.⁵
According to the convener of the Council of Imams in New Jersey, Sharif had previously been attacked at gunpoint outside the mosque several months ago. Then, the former boxer imam successfully deterred the suspect, who ran away.⁶

Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The National. Though authorities may claim that this fatal shooting isn't a hate crime, it seems too much of a coincidence that a New Jersey imam has been killed outside a mosque just weeks after three Palestinian students were shot in Vermont on their way to a family dinner. It's a matter of fact that Islamophobia and hate crimes against the Muslim community have soared in the US since Israel's bombardment in Gaza.
Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. It's legitimate that Muslim Americans feel concerned about their safety in the wake of a shocking incident like this one, especially as reports of threats, violence, and hate speech against them — as well as against Jewish Americans — have indeed increased since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Yet, evidence doesn't indicate that Imam Sharif was a victim of a biased crime.