Recent murders in the city of Albuquerque, in the US state of New Mexico, created fear. This wave of violence directed only at Muslim men continues to keep society on its toes…
The Muslim community living in Albuquerque began to live in fear after three people were killed in 10 days.
New Mexico police have warned that the deaths of Muslim men living in the area, including last year, may be linked.
Albuquerque is home to one of America’s smallest Muslim communities.
These latest killings are believed to be linked to the murder of another Muslim, Mohammad Ahmadi, who was killed in November 2021.
Law enforcement said there was “a strong possibility” that the victims were targeted because of their race and religion.
US President Joe Biden condemned the murders with his social media account.
THE THIRD VICTOR WAS RETURNED FROM THE FUNERAL OF OTHER VICTIMS
The last victim, Nayeem Hossain, shot on July 26 and August 1, after Aftab Hussein and Mohammed Afzaal, was killed while returning from their funerals.
His Fiancee, Who Was Speaking To Him On The Phone At The Time Of The Murder , heard the gunshot. Hossain, who was shot in a parking lot, had become a US citizen just two weeks ago.
Dr Mahmoud Eldenawi, imam of the New Mexico Islamic Center in Albuquerque, told the Guardian on Saturday that the local Muslim community has been nervous since the recent killings and is trying to stay in their homes as much as possible.
“Especially in the evening, no one goes out, they rush to finish all their work during the day. They don’t leave the house at night unless it’s an emergency. Everyone thinks they are a target.”
“We are faith leaders, we want people to be strong, but we are people too, we are concerned about our wife and children,” Eldenawi said.
THE MURDERES WERE COMMITTED AROUND THE CAMPUS
Akhil said the killings took place within a mile of the area surrounding the University of New Mexico campus.
Abbas Akhil, who founded the Islamic center, added that he urged Muslim students, especially Pakistani and living around the campus, to be careful.
On Saturday, New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham condemned the killings and said they were “extremely enraged and completely intolerable”.
“I am sending additional state police officers to Albuquerque to work in close coordination with the APD and the FBI to bring the killer or killers to justice. And the murderers will be found,” he said.
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair), told the Guardian that the council is trying to coordinate the local Muslim community.
In New Mexico, hate crimes targeting race and religion have the highest number of victims of any other hate crime type in the state.
THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE
Eldenawi, of the Islamic centre, said they were happy with the response of local law enforcement who controlled them, and that six to seven members of the mosque have been present at the mosque to watch for any potential threats since Friday’s murder.
The Muslim community in Albuquerque also enjoyed support and solidarity from the local Christian and Jewish communities.
Eldenawi, who has been in the congregation for 10 months, said that the events came as a shock to him, that he had not faced any discrimination neither in Albuquerque nor in Arkansas, where he had lived for seven years before that.
He said he had not experienced any discrimination or hate crime, apart from the attack where a woman tried to burn down the mosque.
EXPLANATION FROM THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN
The State Department stated that they were concerned about the suspicious killing of 4 Muslims in the city of Albuquerque, USA, and stated that they expected the US authorities to clarify the incident as soon as possible.
In a written statement from the ministry, “We are deeply concerned about the suspicious killings of 4 Muslim people in the city of Albuquerque, USA, since November, 3 of which were in the last week. We want the perpetrators of these possible serial murders to be found immediately and brought to justice, and we expect the relevant US authorities to meticulously carry out all kinds of investigations and investigations in order to clarify all aspects of the incident as soon as possible.
May God have mercy on those who lost their lives, and condolences to their families and relatives were also conveyed.
