QUEENS — A Muslim man was assaulted by three young men outside a mosque in Hollis in what police called a possible hate crime, authorities said Monday morning.
Mohamed Rasheed Khan, 59, who according to the Muslim advocacy group the Council on American-Islamic Relations of New York (CAIR-NY), is an American citizen of Guyanese descent, was leaving the Center for Islamic Studies on Jamaica Avenue last Wednesday around 10:30 p.m. when he was attacked, the group said.
Police said the suspects knocked Khan off his bike and started punching him on his face and head without saying anything. The NYPD added that Khan was wearing his traditional Islamic attire at the time of the assault.
The three men did not take anything from Khan and fled on Jamaica Avenue towards Francis Lewis Boulevard, according to the NYPD.
They "were reportedly seen laughing as they left the scene of the attack," CAIR-NY wrote in its statement Sunday.
Police described the suspects as being in their teens and released footage Monday showing two of them running away from the scene, the NYPD said.
Khan suffered multiple lacerations to his face as well as a concussion and brain swelling, police said. He is unable to speak or open his eyes and is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday at Jamaica Hospital, according to CAIR-NY.
Authorities said that investigators are currently checking more surveillance cameras in the vicinity of the mosque to try to gather more information about the assault.
One of the suspects was last seen wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, white pants and white sneakers, police said. The second man was also wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, and the third one was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, black pants and white sneakers, officials said.
"We urge the NYPD to step up patrols in the area of the mosque, particularly during activities associated with the upcoming fast of Ramadan,” CAIR-NY executive director Afaf Nasher said in a statement.
The Center for Islamic Studies did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
