A video clip showing a young man stabbing the imam of a mosque in the US state of New Jersey while he was prostrating at dawn prayers sparked a wide reaction dominated by shock and denunciation by tweeters.
The clip, which was filmed by one of the mosque's surveillance cameras and widely circulated on social media, showed the moment the imam of the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque was stabbed in Paterson, New Jersey, USA.
A young man who was standing in the third row among the worshippers – numbering about 200 worshippers – took advantage of their prostration in the first rak'ah, overtook them and stabbed the imam twice and then tried to escape, but the worshipers were able to catch him and hand him over to the police.
It turned out that the appellant was named Sharif Zorba, a Turkish origin and aged 32, and his motives for committing the crime are not yet known, while the imam was transferred to the hospital for treatment, which the mayor of the city, "Andre Sayigh", reported that his condition was stable despite suffering from serious injuries.
According to the prosecutor's office, Zorba will be tried for first-degree murder punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and for illegal possession of a weapon punishable by up to 5 years.
The Omar Ibn al-Khattab mosque is one of the city's mosques, and its 65-year-old Egyptian imam, Sayed Naqib, is known for his gentleness of character and calmness of character.
Shock and astonishment
Among the interactions of social media users monitored by the "Shabakat" program (2023/4/11), Somaya Olabi demanded in her tweet, where she said, "He took advantage of the prostration of worshipers and pounced on the imam. "There should be people guarding the worshippers and the imam so that the weak do not take advantage of the opportunity to prostrate."
Supporting the same demand, Sari tweeted, "Every gathering has protection, so I wonder why there are no security guards for mosques during prayers, as the doors are open without guards, and there have been several killings."
While the attention of "Muayad Abu Laban" drew a remarkable matter, he recorded in his tweet in which he said, "Glory be to Allah, the name of the mosque is Omar bin Al-Khattab, and Omar bin Al-Khattab also challenged the Fajr prayer, may God be pleased with him and please him."
As for "Lolli", he expressed his satisfaction with the success of the worshipers from catching the perpetrator of the crime and handing him over to the police so as not to lose the right of the imam, while "Abboud" expressed his surprise at the fact that the aggressor is a Muslim, asking, "What is his problem with the imam?? Does he have any personal problems with him?? He must be prosecuted for his treachery."
Muslims in New Jersey make up one of the largest communities in the United States, numbering nearly 30,150 out of <>,<> in Paterson.