#IllWalkWithYou campaign kicks off in support of US Muslims after shooting

August 14, 2016 21:56

Social media users are offering to accompany Muslims who fear travelling alone to their mosque, after two men, including a Muslim imam, were fatally shot while walking home from afternoon prayers in New York City.

The #IllWalkWithYou hashtag was inspired by the #IllRideWithYou hashtag which sprung up in support of Muslims in Australia following the Sydney siege.

The victims of Saturday's shooting in the borough of Queens, identified as imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, and Thara Uddin, 64, were both wearing religious garb at the time of the shooting, police said.

The gunman approached the pair from behind after they left the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque and shot both in the head at close range.

The shooting comes amid a climate of anti-Muslim sentiment as a wave of deadly attacks have unfolded in the US and abroad, some of which have been claimed by the Islamic State group, and Republican presidential contender Donald Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US.

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