HOUSTON – The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Houston is requesting law enforcement increase security surrounding the Mosque where a doctor was critically injured Sunday after being shot outside the house of worship.
Arslan Tajammul is still being treated for his injuries in an intensive care unit, but is expected to make a full recovery from his injuries, officials said.
The Council on American Islamic Relations of Houston, or CAIR, wanted to show it cares about violence plaguing the Muslim community.
The doctor remains in an intensive care unit after being shot near a mosque in southwest Houston.
Investigators said Arslan Tajammul was shot around 5:30 a.m. Sunday outside the Madrashah Islamiah mosque in the 6900 block of Bintliff and DeMoss drives.
Tajammul told leaders he was helping someone in a wheelchair to the mosque on Bintliff for morning prayers. He told them a man in a van drove up and demanded his belongings. The doctor handed over his wallet, but the robber still shot him.
Witnesses said the well-respected optometrist and longtime member of the mosque was on his way to morning prayer when three men ambushed him.
“There was a young kid who saw him confronted by those people,” Kaleem Siddiqui of the Council of American-Islamic Relations in Houston said. “(He) saw them making a lunging motion towards his abdomen."
Tajammul made it to the front door before he collapsed. Another mosque member saw him on the ground and called 911.
Syed Yousha has lived down the street from the mosque for a decade. He also saw the alleged attack.
"There's another guy who lives in our neighborhood. He limps a lot. I just thought it was him because he was limping down," Yousha said.
Tajammul was taken to the hospital and is now in the ICU, but is conscious and expected to recover.
"I was just shocked. I was like, 'Man, like, he was right there.' I wish I did something," Yousha said.
Investigators said the men used a gun and possibly a knife to injure Tajammul before running away.
"(We) hope that police take it very seriously and without jumping to conclusions,” Siddiqui said.
The organization also wants detectives to strongly consider investigating any biases that may exist, Siddiqui said.
“This is an entire Muslim community,” Yousha said. “That could have easily been me.”
Mosque leaders and the Houston Police Department have increased security in the area.
Muslim leaders said they will wait to see what the investigation finds.
“I believe that there was an essence of hate crime," Mufti Mohammed Wasim Khan, with Islamic Science Research Academy, said. "Yes, there was robbery, but I also believe that there was an essence of hate crime because a person could've stolen and left, but Dr. Arslan was dressed in Islamic attire in the morning. He was dressed in a visually different attire ... Otherwise, he had no motive. He had the wallet. He had what he needed and he didn't need to pull the trigger."
The Houston chapter the Council on American-Islamic Relations will hold a news conference Monday afternoon to urge local Muslim leaders to implement additional security measures in the wake of a number of hate incidents targeting Muslims and Islamic houses of worship during the holy month of Ramadan.
CAIR outlined several instances of violence across the country over the last 10 days of different attacks on Muslims.
"CAIR-Houston is recommending particular attention be paid to security during these last days of the holy month of Ramadan," said Mustafaa Carroll, CAIR-Houston's executive director.
Although Tajmmul was stabbed, shot and robbed on his way to a morning prayer at a mosque in southwest Houston, police so far have categorized it as a robbery at this point with no 'hate crime' attachments.
"We must send a signal and we must communicate to those who may have a copycat agenda on their minds that this will not be tolerated," said Deric Muhammad, a community activist. "That every citizen in the city of Houston must be afforded greater protection and that includes the Muslim community as well."
The Houston Muslim community is already being proactive about their protection.
"We just circulated an email around all the mosques today making sure that they contact their police department to increase patrolling, hire private security," said Waleed Basayouni, an imam with the Clear Lake Islamic Center.
In fact, police have already stepped up patrols near Muslim communities and mosques, Carroll said.
"The reason I came out today to talk to you is to let you know Arlsan is not a number," said Syeda, Dr. Arslan's wife, who asked we not use her last name.
What she means by that is, Arslan Tajmmul is not a statistic in crimes against Muslims. Instead, he is much more.
"He has been a kind and loving husband for 5 years. He's a doctor who loves his job that allows him to take care of other people," Syeda said.
The Council on American Islamic Relations has cited a number of anti-Muslim attacks across the country over the last week or so.
Despite that, CAIR & Syeda aren't assuming anything about what happened to her husband.
"We discourage anyone from jumping to conclusions about the motive of the shooter, regardless of why he did it, the truth is Muslims live in an increasingly scary reality," Syed said.
CAIR says last year was a record year for mosque incidents -- there were 80 nationwide -- 36 in Texas.