Oakland Murder – A Recurring Nightmare for Arab and Muslim Americans
By: Fatmeh Atieh Bakhit
The shooting into a crowd of Muslim Americans near an Islamic mosque following an evening prayer on September 19 had left two deads and one wounded. It was a recurring nightmare of hatred toward Arabs and Muslims that Middle Eastern Americans wished not to experience again in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks more than two decades ago.
The dead victims are Essam Al-Ajouri (or Asam Al-Awjri), 27, born in Yemen; and Bilal Issa (or Belal Esa), 59, originated from Ethiopia. The wounded victim is Najm Walid, 17, who is also a Yemeni American like Al-Ajouri.
Oakland Police have not ruled whether the shooting was a hate crime as the case is still under investigation.
“Our community is shocked, sad, and fearful at the same time,” says Sheikh Abu Rizq Munther bin Muhammad, Imam of the Oaِkland Islamic Center, founded in 1990. The incident occured only a few hundred feet from the mosque.
Imam bin Muhammad believes this murderous crime against Muslims has produced a tremendous fear among local Arab and Muslim Americans who are already concerned about the rising crimes in Oakland.
According to Oakland police, in less than one hour after the shooting near the mosque, one woman, 48, was gunned down at East 20th Street and 23rd Avenue
Recalling the faithful evening, Imam bin Muhammad says following the Maghrib prayer at the mosque, most worshipers, as usual, left the mosque for either the Layalina Cafe, a Middle Eastern restaurant, or the grocery stores Oasis Food Market or River Nile Market. All are within short walking distances.
Suddenly multiple shots came from a car directed at a group gathering in front of the Layalina Cafe. Everyone was panicking and started running. Al-Ajouri immediately dropped and died on the spot. Issa and Walid were also hit but managed to run inside the Layalina Cafe where shortly afterward, Issa also died. Walid, who got shot in the leg, was able to drive himself to the hospital.
Ramzi Abdullah, owner of Layalina Cafe, who was not at his restaurant on the night of the incident, believes the surveillance videos from his cafe and other nearby stores show there was a white car, possibly a Prius, circling the area several times before people inside the vehicle shooting into the crowd in front of the Layalina Cafe.
On his instagram, Adbullah has expressed condolences to the victims and their families.
According to Imam bin Muhammad, the victims Al-Ajouri, Issa, and Walid were regulars at the mosque.
“Al-Ajouri would come and pray on every Monday and Thursday and break his fasting with us,” recalls the Imam. “I did not know him well but some members in our mosque said Al-Ajouri was a well respected person with high morality”.
Bilal Issa, on the other hand, was a well known person at the Oakland Islamic Center and in the Ethiopian community in the Bay Area. Issa had taken the Hajj, a Muslim pilgrimage, with Hatem Abdullah, another Sheik at the mosque, to Saudi Arabia in the recent past.
Both men were considered devoted Muslims and not known to have any enemies.
Imam bin Muhammad believes this shooting has been committed by one of the extremist groups in America.
“We hope that local authorities will arrest the criminals as soon as possible to give justice for the victims’ families and alleviate fears that Arab and Muslim Americans are enduring right now,” says the Imam.
Sheik Hatem added: “We pray to God that security and safety prevail in our society because we want everyone to feel safe.”
This story is made possible through a fellowship created by Ethnic Media Services (EMS) under the Stop the Hate campaign sponsored by the California State Library (CSL) in partnership with the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs (CAPIAA). The views expressed on this website and other materials produced by Al Enteshar do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the CSL, CAPIAA or the California government.
