April 10, 2023 (CNN): A 32-year-old man was arrested for stabbing an imam at a mosque in New Jersey on Sunday, according to a news release from the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Serif Zorba was arrested for allegedly stabbing Imam Sayed Elnakib of the Omar Mosque in Paterson, New Jersey. Elnakib, in stable condition, was stabbed during the day’s first prayer around 5:30 a.m. while the congregation was kneeling, mosque spokesperson Abdul Hamdan told CNN.
Surveillance video of the incident shows a group of worshippers at the mosque positioned in five long rows. As they knelt in prayer, a person wearing a hoodie in the third row moved to the front of the room, stepping over other worshippers, and thrust his right hand into the back of the kneeling imam, the video shows.
The congregation then rose together, and the assailant tried to push through the crowd and flee out of the back of the mosque, the video shows.
Zorba is charged with first-degree attempted murder, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, the release reads.
The prosecutor’s office said he will appear at the Central Judicial Processing Court today at 1:30 p.m. Bulent Can, a senior assistant prosecutor from the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, said they are still investigating the motive. It is unclear if Zorba has retained an attorney. The maximum sentence for his alleged crimes is around 26 years, according to the release.
Hamdan said there were more than 200 congregants in the mosque at the time of the stabbing. The spokesperson said he strongly believes this was an isolated incident and assured all congregants “that the mosque is safe and to practice their faith, it is open.”
Mayor Andre Sayegh said he visited Imam Sayed Elnakib in the hospital soon after the incident. The mayor said the imam is stable at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center.
In a news conference Sunday, Sayegh commended the efforts of worshipers who apprehended the attacker and announced that there would be increased police presence at Paterson mosques. “We appreciate the efforts of those here who were able to apprehend the assailant and we also want to reassure the family, the congregation at the mosque, that there will be extra police attention,” the mayor said.
Councilman Al Abdel-aziz, who represents the area where the attack happened, said in a Facebook update that he was “deeply saddened” by the stabbing.
“My heart goes out to everyone affected by this tragic event,” he said. “While it is unclear what motivated the attacker, there is no justification for violence of any kind, especially in a sacred space.”
“I am relieved to hear that Imam Sayed Elnakib is in stable condition, and wish him a full and speedy recovery,” the councilman added. “Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this difficult time. As a community, it is important that we come together to support one another and denounce all forms of hate and violence.”
A day earlier, the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called for a hate crime investigation after a separate incident in Paterson. The chapter said a sign at the Dr. Hani Awadallah public school in Paterson was defaced.
In a statement Saturday, the chapter’s executive director. Selaedin Maksut, said, “While the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unknown, the smearing of the word ‘Allah’ in Dr. Awadallah’s name is apparently intentional, with the remainder of the sign left untouched, making an immediate hate crime investigation into this incident necessary.”
“In 2022, we’ve recorded the highest number of complaints of anti-Muslim prejudices, at 152,” Maksut said. “Over the years, our records have shown that complaints increase around and during Ramadan, in part because Muslims are more visible and take up more space – physically and metaphorically.”
During the month of Ramadan, worshipers eat and hydrate before sunrise and fast until sunset. Worshipers also engage in other forms of practice including increased prayer, giving more to charity, volunteering and participating in communal meals.
Paterson is a city with a population of more than 150,000, according to the US Census Bureau, about 15 miles north of Newark.
The city is home to one of the largest Muslim communities in the state of New Jersey and that New Jersey has more Muslims per capita than any other state in the nation, according to Maksut.
Later Sunday, Hamdan performed the second prayer of the day at Omar Mosque, he said, along with 300 to 400 other worshipers. Prayers will continue throughout Sunday and moving forward, the spokesperson added.
“We urge everyone to allow this incident to even get them closer to their religion, to God, to visit the congregation more often and not allow this to bring them away,” Hamdan said. “This is a time of unity and peace, and this incident should not in any way take that away from us. We feel safe here at the mosque.”
