NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) -- It’s been nearly a month since someone gunned down Imam Hassan Sharif outside his Newark Mosque, Masjid Muhammad, on the morning of Jan. 3, but news of three arrests Tuesday, one of them the Imam’s son, only raised new questions about the murder case.
Last Friday, Newark Police went to Palm Street to arrest that son, 36-year-old Abdush Sharif, 46-year-old Kevin Rogers, and a third man who’s since been released on a weapons charge.
Law enforcement sources familiar with their cases told PIX11 News all three arrests were unrelated to the Imam’s murder.
But when PIX11 asked one of those sources if the younger Sharif is connected to his father’s murder case, the reply was simply, “No comment.”
Earlier in January, detectives reportedly began investigating whether a family member shot and killed Imam.
Imam Mustafa El-Amin is a former member of Masjid Muhammad who, twenty years ago, left to found his own Mosque on the other side of the city.
“To be completely honest, we have heard things about that in the community. It’s terrible. It makes the situation for us, as African Americans as Muslims, trying to help the community. It looks bad. No matter what else happened, you’re going to perform your prayer, to pray to your lord…and for someone to basically wait on you?” said Imam El-Amin.
A spokesperson for the New Jersey Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement that reads in part:
“The investigation, as it now stands, lacks transparency. While we’ve agreed to cooperate with law enforcement officials to the best of our capacity, we have not seen law enforcement reciprocate…This issue is one of public interest, concern, and safety.”
New Jersey Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations spokesperson
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