{"id":983,"date":"2026-07-06T17:09:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=983"},"modified":"2026-07-06T17:09:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:09:54","slug":"mosque-scare-turns-political-firestorm-after-dems-leave-out-one-key-detail-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=983","title":{"rendered":"Mosque Scare Turns Political Firestorm After Dems Leave Out One Key Detail"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A masked man holding a BB gun at a Queens mosque touched off a political controversy over the weekend after top New York Democrats rushed to frame the incident as an anti-Muslim hate crime \u2014 only for it to emerge that the suspect himself may be Muslim.<\/p>\n

Read more China Releases Influential Christian Prisoner In \u2018Miracle\u2019 Move After Trump Pressured Xi<\/a><\/p>\n

Police say Sheikh Haque, 33, of Buffalo, burst into the Muslim Center of New York during Friday prayers on July 3, brandishing what looked like a real firearm in front of dozens of worshippers gathered for services around 1:30 p.m. A congregant quickly wrestled him to the ground, and he was held down with help from an off-duty MTA worker, a cab driver, and an NYPD officer until police arrived. The weapon turned out to be a BB pistol. No shots were fired and no one was hurt.<\/p>\n

Haque was charged with weapons possession and menacing. Police have not filed hate crime charges, and it remains unclear what prompted the disturbance.<\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t stop a wave of elected officials from immediately casting the episode as an act of bigotry against Muslims. Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted on X that a \u201cterrifying situation\u201d had unfolded for \u201cMuslim New Yorkers,\u201d thanking the bystanders who intervened and declaring that \u201cevery New Yorker should be able to observe their religion without fear or intimidation.\u201d<\/p>\n

New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James went further, calling the incident \u201chorrific under any circumstances\u201d and urging New Yorkers, \u201cWe must stand united against Islamophobia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Today, a masked individual reached into his pocket to pull out what appeared to be a deadly weapon during Friday Prayers at the Muslim Center. <\/p>\n

This is horrific under any circumstances, especially when a community is joining in prayer.<\/p>\n

We must stand united against Islamophobia. https:\/\/t.co\/yGdC3XdcKs<\/p>\n

\u2014 NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) July 3, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Rep. Grace Meng and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Democrats, echoed similar sentiments, with Schumer saying he was troubled by what he called another possible attack targeting a house of worship.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump Describes His Call With FIFA President Before Last-Minute Decision On U.S. Suspension<\/a><\/p>\n

Critics online slammed Mamdani once Haque\u2019s background surfaced, accusing officials of jumping to conclusions and exploiting the incident for political messaging before basic facts \u2014 including the suspect\u2019s own religious identity \u2014 were established. The backlash spread quickly across social media, with numerous commentators mocking the rush to label the episode a hate crime.<\/p>\n

\n

The guy with the gun was also Muslim. Convenient fact to leave out. What a snake.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) July 5, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Sunni on Shia or Shia on Sunni?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Katya Sedgwick (@KatyaSedgwick) July 5, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Why didn’t you share the name of the attackers, Zohran? pic.twitter.com\/8qDGrIixfH<\/p>\n

\u2014 Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) July 4, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Tell us about it. pic.twitter.com\/dK4YUq8PfF<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sarah \ud83e\udd68 (@cosmopterix) July 5, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The flap comes months after Mamdani made fighting Islamophobia a signature issue, arguing in past remarks that anti-Muslim bigotry gets a pass in American politics that other forms of hate do not. Months after his ascension to the mayoral position, Mamdani said of Islamophobia, \u201cI think there\u2019s an unabashed nature to it, and it has been echoed from the highest offices in this country and they do so without any sense of shame. And what is remarkable about Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry is not that it is bigoted, for there is so much bigotry in this country, it is that there are very few who speak up in opposition to it, the manner in which it has become normalized.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his race for the mayoralty, Mamdani said, \u201cFor as long as we have lived, we have known that no matter what anyone says, there are still certain forms of hate that are acceptable in this city. Islamophobia is not seen as inexcusable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The incident also follows separate criticism of the mayor over his stance on Israel, after he compared the Jewish state to Saudi Arabia on religious freedom grounds \u2014 a comparison that drew accusations of ignoring Israel\u2019s protections for religious minorities and its Arab citizens\u2019 political rights, while sidestepping harsher criticism of Iran\u2019s treatment of religious minorities.<\/p>\n

Read more Mosque Scare Turns Political Firestorm After Dems Leave Out One Key Detail<\/a><\/p>\n

As of Sunday, Haque\u2019s arraignment in Queens Criminal Court remained pending.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A masked man holding a BB gun at a Queens mosque touched off a political controversy over the weekend after top New York Democrats rushed to frame the incident as an anti-Muslim hate crime \u2014 only for it to emerge that the suspect himself may be Muslim.Police say Sheikh Haque, 33, of Buffalo, burst into the Muslim Center of New York during Friday prayers on July 3, brandishing what looked like a real firearm in front of dozens of worshippers gathered for services around 1:30 p.m. A congregant quickly wrestled him to the ground, and he was held down with help from an off-duty MTA worker, a cab driver, and an NYPD officer until police arrived. The weapon turned out to be a BB pistol. No shots were fired and no one was hurt.Haque was charged with weapons possession and menacing. Police have not filed hate crime charges, and it remains unclear what prompted the disturbance.That didn\u2019t stop a wave of elected officials from immediately casting the episode as an act of bigotry against Muslims. Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted on X that a \u201cterrifying situation\u201d had unfolded for \u201cMuslim New Yorkers,\u201d thanking the bystanders who intervened and declaring that \u201cevery New Yorker should be able to observe their religion without fear or intimidation.\u201dNew York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James went further, calling the incident \u201chorrific under any circumstances\u201d and urging New Yorkers, \u201cWe must stand united against Islamophobia.\u201dToday, a masked individual reached into his pocket to pull out what appeared to be a deadly weapon during Friday Prayers at the Muslim Center. This is horrific under any circumstances, especially when a community is joining in prayer.We must stand united against Islamophobia. https:\/\/t.co\/yGdC3XdcKs\u2014 NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) July 3, 2026Rep. Grace Meng and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Democrats, echoed similar sentiments, with Schumer saying he was troubled by what he called another possible attack targeting a house of worship.Critics online slammed Mamdani once Haque\u2019s background surfaced, accusing officials of jumping to conclusions and exploiting the incident for political messaging before basic facts \u2014 including the suspect\u2019s own religious identity \u2014 were established. The backlash spread quickly across social media, with numerous commentators mocking the rush to label the episode a hate crime.The guy with the gun was also Muslim. Convenient fact to leave out. What a snake.\u2014 Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) July 5, 2026Sunni on Shia or Shia on Sunni?\u2014 Katya Sedgwick (@KatyaSedgwick) July 5, 2026Why didn't you share the name of the attackers, Zohran? pic.twitter.com\/8qDGrIixfH\u2014 Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) July 4, 2026Tell us about it. pic.twitter.com\/dK4YUq8PfF\u2014 Sarah \ud83e\udd68 (@cosmopterix) July 5, 2026The flap comes months after Mamdani made fighting Islamophobia a signature issue, arguing in past remarks that anti-Muslim bigotry gets a pass in American politics that other forms of hate do not. Months after his ascension to the mayoral position, Mamdani said of Islamophobia, \u201cI think there\u2019s an unabashed nature to it, and it has been echoed from the highest offices in this country and they do so without any sense of shame. And what is remarkable about Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry is not that it is bigoted, for there is so much bigotry in this country, it is that there are very few who speak up in opposition to it, the manner in which it has become normalized.\u201dIn his race for the mayoralty, Mamdani said, \u201cFor as long as we have lived, we have known that no matter what anyone says, there are still certain forms of hate that are acceptable in this city. Islamophobia is not seen as inexcusable.\u201dThe incident also follows separate criticism of the mayor over his stance on Israel, after he compared the Jewish state to Saudi Arabia on religious freedom grounds \u2014 a comparison that drew accusations of ignoring Israel\u2019s protections for religious minorities and its Arab citizens\u2019 political rights, while sidestepping harsher criticism of Iran\u2019s treatment of religious minorities.As of Sunday, Haque\u2019s arraignment in Queens Criminal Court remained pending.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-2"],"yoast_head":"\nMosque Scare Turns Political Firestorm After Dems Leave Out One Key Detail - Blue Route Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=983\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mosque Scare Turns Political Firestorm After Dems Leave Out One Key Detail - Blue Route Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A masked man holding a BB gun at a Queens mosque touched off a political controversy over the weekend after top New York Democrats rushed to frame the incident as an anti-Muslim hate crime \u2014 only for it to emerge that the suspect himself may be Muslim.Police say Sheikh Haque, 33, of Buffalo, burst into the Muslim Center of New York during Friday prayers on July 3, brandishing what looked like a real firearm in front of dozens of worshippers gathered for services around 1:30 p.m. A congregant quickly wrestled him to the ground, and he was held down with help from an off-duty MTA worker, a cab driver, and an NYPD officer until police arrived. The weapon turned out to be a BB pistol. No shots were fired and no one was hurt.Haque was charged with weapons possession and menacing. Police have not filed hate crime charges, and it remains unclear what prompted the disturbance.That didn\u2019t stop a wave of elected officials from immediately casting the episode as an act of bigotry against Muslims. Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted on X that a \u201cterrifying situation\u201d had unfolded for \u201cMuslim New Yorkers,\u201d thanking the bystanders who intervened and declaring that \u201cevery New Yorker should be able to observe their religion without fear or intimidation.\u201dNew York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James went further, calling the incident \u201chorrific under any circumstances\u201d and urging New Yorkers, \u201cWe must stand united against Islamophobia.\u201dToday, a masked individual reached into his pocket to pull out what appeared to be a deadly weapon during Friday Prayers at the Muslim Center. This is horrific under any circumstances, especially when a community is joining in prayer.We must stand united against Islamophobia. https:\/\/t.co\/yGdC3XdcKs\u2014 NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) July 3, 2026Rep. Grace Meng and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Democrats, echoed similar sentiments, with Schumer saying he was troubled by what he called another possible attack targeting a house of worship.Critics online slammed Mamdani once Haque\u2019s background surfaced, accusing officials of jumping to conclusions and exploiting the incident for political messaging before basic facts \u2014 including the suspect\u2019s own religious identity \u2014 were established. The backlash spread quickly across social media, with numerous commentators mocking the rush to label the episode a hate crime.The guy with the gun was also Muslim. Convenient fact to leave out. What a snake.\u2014 Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) July 5, 2026Sunni on Shia or Shia on Sunni?\u2014 Katya Sedgwick (@KatyaSedgwick) July 5, 2026Why didn&apos;t you share the name of the attackers, Zohran? pic.twitter.com\/8qDGrIixfH\u2014 Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) July 4, 2026Tell us about it. pic.twitter.com\/dK4YUq8PfF\u2014 Sarah \ud83e\udd68 (@cosmopterix) July 5, 2026The flap comes months after Mamdani made fighting Islamophobia a signature issue, arguing in past remarks that anti-Muslim bigotry gets a pass in American politics that other forms of hate do not. Months after his ascension to the mayoral position, Mamdani said of Islamophobia, \u201cI think there\u2019s an unabashed nature to it, and it has been echoed from the highest offices in this country and they do so without any sense of shame. And what is remarkable about Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry is not that it is bigoted, for there is so much bigotry in this country, it is that there are very few who speak up in opposition to it, the manner in which it has become normalized.\u201dIn his race for the mayoralty, Mamdani said, \u201cFor as long as we have lived, we have known that no matter what anyone says, there are still certain forms of hate that are acceptable in this city. Islamophobia is not seen as inexcusable.\u201dThe incident also follows separate criticism of the mayor over his stance on Israel, after he compared the Jewish state to Saudi Arabia on religious freedom grounds \u2014 a comparison that drew accusations of ignoring Israel\u2019s protections for religious minorities and its Arab citizens\u2019 political rights, while sidestepping harsher criticism of Iran\u2019s treatment of religious minorities.As of Sunday, Haque\u2019s arraignment in Queens Criminal Court remained pending.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=983\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blue Route Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-06T17:09:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=983#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=983\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c\"},\"headline\":\"Mosque Scare Turns Political Firestorm After Dems Leave Out One Key Detail\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-06T17:09:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=983\"},\"wordCount\":735,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=983#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/835d1af23c6797a290c0ded8c9a5fb16.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=983#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=983\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=983\",\"name\":\"Mosque Scare Turns Political Firestorm After Dems Leave Out One Key Detail - 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Blue Route Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=983","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mosque Scare Turns Political Firestorm After Dems Leave Out One Key Detail - Blue Route Journal","og_description":"A masked man holding a BB gun at a Queens mosque touched off a political controversy over the weekend after top New York Democrats rushed to frame the incident as an anti-Muslim hate crime \u2014 only for it to emerge that the suspect himself may be Muslim.Police say Sheikh Haque, 33, of Buffalo, burst into the Muslim Center of New York during Friday prayers on July 3, brandishing what looked like a real firearm in front of dozens of worshippers gathered for services around 1:30 p.m. A congregant quickly wrestled him to the ground, and he was held down with help from an off-duty MTA worker, a cab driver, and an NYPD officer until police arrived. The weapon turned out to be a BB pistol. No shots were fired and no one was hurt.Haque was charged with weapons possession and menacing. Police have not filed hate crime charges, and it remains unclear what prompted the disturbance.That didn\u2019t stop a wave of elected officials from immediately casting the episode as an act of bigotry against Muslims. Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted on X that a \u201cterrifying situation\u201d had unfolded for \u201cMuslim New Yorkers,\u201d thanking the bystanders who intervened and declaring that \u201cevery New Yorker should be able to observe their religion without fear or intimidation.\u201dNew York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James went further, calling the incident \u201chorrific under any circumstances\u201d and urging New Yorkers, \u201cWe must stand united against Islamophobia.\u201dToday, a masked individual reached into his pocket to pull out what appeared to be a deadly weapon during Friday Prayers at the Muslim Center. This is horrific under any circumstances, especially when a community is joining in prayer.We must stand united against Islamophobia. https:\/\/t.co\/yGdC3XdcKs\u2014 NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) July 3, 2026Rep. Grace Meng and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Democrats, echoed similar sentiments, with Schumer saying he was troubled by what he called another possible attack targeting a house of worship.Critics online slammed Mamdani once Haque\u2019s background surfaced, accusing officials of jumping to conclusions and exploiting the incident for political messaging before basic facts \u2014 including the suspect\u2019s own religious identity \u2014 were established. The backlash spread quickly across social media, with numerous commentators mocking the rush to label the episode a hate crime.The guy with the gun was also Muslim. Convenient fact to leave out. What a snake.\u2014 Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) July 5, 2026Sunni on Shia or Shia on Sunni?\u2014 Katya Sedgwick (@KatyaSedgwick) July 5, 2026Why didn't you share the name of the attackers, Zohran? pic.twitter.com\/8qDGrIixfH\u2014 Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) July 4, 2026Tell us about it. pic.twitter.com\/dK4YUq8PfF\u2014 Sarah \ud83e\udd68 (@cosmopterix) July 5, 2026The flap comes months after Mamdani made fighting Islamophobia a signature issue, arguing in past remarks that anti-Muslim bigotry gets a pass in American politics that other forms of hate do not. Months after his ascension to the mayoral position, Mamdani said of Islamophobia, \u201cI think there\u2019s an unabashed nature to it, and it has been echoed from the highest offices in this country and they do so without any sense of shame. And what is remarkable about Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry is not that it is bigoted, for there is so much bigotry in this country, it is that there are very few who speak up in opposition to it, the manner in which it has become normalized.\u201dIn his race for the mayoralty, Mamdani said, \u201cFor as long as we have lived, we have known that no matter what anyone says, there are still certain forms of hate that are acceptable in this city. Islamophobia is not seen as inexcusable.\u201dThe incident also follows separate criticism of the mayor over his stance on Israel, after he compared the Jewish state to Saudi Arabia on religious freedom grounds \u2014 a comparison that drew accusations of ignoring Israel\u2019s protections for religious minorities and its Arab citizens\u2019 political rights, while sidestepping harsher criticism of Iran\u2019s treatment of religious minorities.As of Sunday, Haque\u2019s arraignment in Queens Criminal Court remained pending.","og_url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=983","og_site_name":"Blue Route Journal","article_published_time":"2026-07-06T17:09:54+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=983#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=983"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c"},"headline":"Mosque Scare Turns Political Firestorm After Dems Leave Out One Key Detail","datePublished":"2026-07-06T17:09:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=983"},"wordCount":735,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=983#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/835d1af23c6797a290c0ded8c9a5fb16.avif","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=983#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=983","url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=983","name":"Mosque Scare Turns Political Firestorm After Dems Leave Out One Key Detail - 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