Worshipper Millat Uddin said Akonjee had led the mosque for about two years and was a very pious man.
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Imam Maulana Alauddin Akonjee, 55, and his associate Thara Uddin, 64, – both Bangladeshi- were fatally shot by a lone gunman while walking together following afternoon prayers at a mosque in the city.
Authorities say the shooter approached them from behind as they left the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque in Queens shortly before 2pm on Saturday. The motive for the shooting was not immediately known and no evidence has been uncovered that the two men were targeted due to their faith, Reuters reported quoting Tiffany Phillips, a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department. He says he has felt an anti-Muslim sentiment growing in the neighborhood and believes the attack was a hate crime.
Immediately after the victims were shot, the man fled the scene on 79th Street.
Police released the completed sketch early Sunday morning of a dark-haired, bearded man wearing glasses. They were both taken to a local hospital, where Akonjee died as a result of his injuries.
Police have not determined a motive, and said there was no indication the men were targeted due to their faith.
In June, CAIR issued a statement calling for Muslim community leaders to consider increasing security after the Orlando massacre and incidents that it said had targeted Muslims and Islamic houses of worship.
Mayor Bill de Blasio dispatched his senior liaison with the Muslim community to the scene, said Eric Phillips, the mayor’s press secretary.
However, Muslim community representatives condemned what they see as a toxic climate of hatred.
“Please, read my lips”. “It’s hate against humanity, it’s hate against Muslims”.
More than 100 people attended a rally Saturday night and chanted “We want justice!”
During a vigil outside the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque, the faithful prayed, heads bent and palms facing the sky.
“When we stay silent we allow crimes to continue to occur”, she said. “And let’s not forget the victims who are essential to all of this”.
“He would not hurt a fly”, the imam’s nephew Rahi Majid, told the New York Daily News. “You would watch him come down the street and watch the peace he brings”. “Violence can never be the solution”, she tweeted on Sunday.
“I understand the anger”, Ms. Sayeed said.
Meanwhile, Melissa Mark-Viverito, the speaker of the New York City Council, has released a statement expressing shock and sadness about the murder of the Queens Imam and his assistant.
“We are calling for all people, of all faiths, to rally with compassion and with a sense of vigilance so that justice can be served”, Afaf Nasher, executive director of the NY chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told Reuters.
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Last year, hate crimes against Muslims and mosques across the country tripled following extremist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, the New York Times reported.
