Asalaamu alaikum dear brothers and sisters,
We want to make you aware of an incident that occurred on Friday that affected our families, friends, and community-at-large. During the Jumu’ah khutbah on November 22nd, a very sad incident occurred where the safety of our beloved Imam Mostafa Hokoumi was put at risk by one of our community members. The assailant attempted to strike Imam Mostafa multiple times while Imam Mostafa was giving the khutbah. Afterwards, the forgiveness voiced by our Imam went above and beyond expectations as an offering of help to the assailant as well as his respected family. It appears that the individual who carried out this attack suffers from some form of mental illness. The safety of our Imam and entire community is our top concern. We take these types of actions and threats of this nature seriously.
Local authorities were onsite and thankfully took control before any further escalation. We would also like to reassure the community that the assailant has been detained and is not currently a threat. As this message is being sent, we are actively engaged with the Shurah, Masjid Security Department, various community members, the assailant’s family, and local authorities to make sure appropriate steps are taken to ensure the safety of all affected parties. Over the next few days and weeks we will implement additional policies and procedures to reduce the risk of something like this ever happening again.
As our community tries to process this incident it is clearer than ever that we must come together, be supportive of one another, and be more involved in each other’s lives as brothers and sisters in Islam. Your involvement in developing a long-term solution is vital and would be much appreciated. Please reach out to any member of the Executive Team if you have an interest in being an active participant as this is truly an area that we can all make positive contributions in addressing.
Please discuss Friday’s unfortunate events with your family and emphasize the seriousness of this issue. Mental health is a sensitive and serious issue and we cannot ignore it. We are working towards identifying appropriately trained individuals who can provide their expertise. For those who are interested, the Colorado Crisis Center and Muslim Family Services of Colorado provide mental health resources. If you or any member of the community should need to speak further about this situation, please do not hesitate to reach out to any Shurah or Executive team member.
Jazakum Allahu Khairan.
