By Alexander Dworkowitz
In light of a recent attack on one of its members, the Jamaica Muslim Center staged a rally Sunday afternoon calling for an end to violence against ethnic minorities and an increased police presence at its mosque.
Asm Idris Miah, a librarian who was on his way to worship at the center, said two teenagers attempted to strangle him on May 5.
Police said the assault was not a bias crime. Still, the attack left members of the mosque, most of whom are Bangladeshi, in fear.
“This incident has shaken our people,” Morshad Alam, a member of the mosque who helped organize the rally, told the packed crowd.
Dr. Mohammad Billah, the president of the Jamaica Hills mosque, called for an end to hate crimes against “Arab Americans, Sikh Americans and Jewish Americans.”
“Whatever happens, this (crime) should be the end of it,” he said.
Before the rally began, Miah recounted the attack.
At about 9:30 p.m. on May 5, Miah was approaching the mosque when two teenagers passed him on bicycles. The teenagers turned around and attacked Miah from behind, using a bandanna to strangle him, Miah said.
“They wrapped it around my neck, and they pulled me down,” he said.
Miah managed to pull the bandanna off his neck and the teenagers fled, he said. Mohammed Rahman, who was praying inside the mosque, came outside and called 911.
But the police took more than an hour to arrive, Miah said.
“They didn't care,” said Miah. A detective in the 107th Precinct said there had been no arrests in the case as of late Tuesday.
Miah was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital with bruises to his neck and knees.
Many members of the mosque, however, praised the 107th Precinct for guarding the center against a possible backlash for three months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Those members said the mosque once again needed more protection. In particular, they called on the 107th Precinct to patrol the institution during early morning and night prayers.
Councilman Jim Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows), who spoke at the demonstration, said he would discuss the issue with the police, noting the precinct already has a house of worship detail.
“I would love to be able to expand (that detail),” he said.
Detective Louis Mango of the 107th Precinct, however, said there was no sign that worshipers of the mosque were being targeted.
“It's an isolated incident,” Mango said. “It's a couple of kids on a bicycle who got a little rambunctious. There was no racial or ethnic slurs. It was not a bias case.”
Mango said he knew of no arrests in the case.
Jamaica's Bangladeshi community was on edge even before the attack. In February, Mohammed Alamgir, a member of the Jamaica Muslim Center, was shot and killed in a robbery at his grocery store on Hillside Avenue. Others members of the mosque said they have been victims of occasional harassment since Sept. 11.
The strangulation attack came several weeks after a rash of anti-Semitic vandalism in the 107th Precinct. In mid-April, police reported three separate incidents in which private property was marked with swastikas within the precinct.
Gennaro and Councilman David Weprin (D-Hollis) held an April 27 rally at the Hillcrest Jewish Center calling for the arrest of the vandals.
Weprin also spoke at Sunday's demonstration.
“Any act against this community is an act against every community in Queens and the city of New York,” he said.
Weprin praised members of the Jamaica Muslim Center for attending the rally at the Hillcrest Jewish Center.
“It's so important that we stand together,” he said.
Several members of the mosque suggested an educational campaign as a means of preventing attacks against their people.
Alam recommended members of the mosque visit neighboring Jamaica High School.
“A lot of people don't know about us,” he said. “We need to educate.”
Reach reporter Alexander Dworkowitz by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300 Ext. 141.
