NYC mayor vows justice for community of slain imam

NEW YORK (AA) – Hundreds of Bangladeshi Muslims gathered here Monday to pray at the funeral service for two of their faith leaders who were gunned down in cold blood.

Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, and his companion Thara Uddin, 64, wearing Muslim clothing, were fatally shot in the back of their heads Saturday, just steps from the Al-Furqan Jame Mosque in Ozone Park, Queens, following the noon prayer.

Police have confirmed that the victims were not robbed. Some community members have said they believe it was a hate crime but authorities stopped short of that.

A suspect is in custody after video surveillance cameras showed him running to a vehicle directly after the shootings. Ten minutes after the shooting, the vehicle was involved in an accident, 3 miles from the crime scene.

Police said the suspect, who was not named, is a 36-year-old Hispanic but a motive is yet to be determined.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio attended the funeral ceremony and offered support. “I want you to know that all of New York City is with you,” he said as he pledged extra security for Muslim communities across the city and that perpetrators would be brought to account.

“For all those here who want justice we want justice to with you and we will get justice for this community,” de Blasio said.

Greeting mourners with the traditional Islamic greeting of As Salaam Alaikum (Peace be unto you), the mayor said, “New York City is a better place and a stronger place because of our Muslim communities,” drawing a thunderous applause from the congregation.

At a news conference following the funeral, de Blasio said there were 900 Muslim-Americans serving in the New York Police Department, stressing the city’s solidarity with its Muslim community.

Mijanurrahman, a Bengali Muslim from Queens, who is originally from the same district in Bangladesh as the imam, said Akonjee arrived at the Al-Furqan Mosque two years ago after he preached for a time at a mosque in the Bronx and earlier in Bangladesh.

Mourners remembered Akonjee as a generous leader who was able to transform lives by encouraging others to be their best.

Anwar, a community organizer affiliated with a nearby mosque who volunteered at the funeral service, said the imam “changed people’s lives.

“He was a powerful speaker well-known in Bangladesh and well-known in this community,” he said.

Living just a few blocks from the mosque, Saqib, 16, said Akonjee was an inspiration to him.

“I’ve known him since I started to go to mosque three, four months ago. I was not very religious,” he said. “We used to do iftar (breaking of fast) with him. He used to share his food; he would say, ‘you are young, take it’”.

The imam would frequently encourage the teen to live a virtuous religious life in harmony with his neighbors, he said.

“He would say, ‘You just come here as a passing guest and you go; your main goal is the afterlife,” Saqib said.

He said the murders have caused community members of the community to have trepidations about the area that was until Saturday, a place where their safety was not a concern.

“I feel like we Muslims are being picked out,” Saqib said.

Rahman, a community member who wore Islamic attire, was determined not to allow the shooting to force him to alter his appearance or actions in area. “The danger is to put on this but I am never going to take it off because somebody has a gun,” he said.