A 59-YEAR-OLD Queens, New York resident was last Wednesday badly beaten in Hollis, Queens, New York while on his way home from a nearby mosque.The badly injured man, Rasheed Khan, the brother of former Guyana Chronicle Editor-in-Chief Sharief Khan left the mosque just around 22:30 hours when he was attacked by a group of three youth. He suffered several broken bones in the face including a broken nose. He was bleeding in the brain.
While there were no eye-witnesses, a friend of Khan, Ramzan ‘Zakir’ Ali told Guyana Chronicle New York Edition that prayer at the mosque concluded just after 22:15 hrs after which Khan left, walked a short distance to collect his bicycle and headed for his house which was not far away.
Ali said he and Khan left the mosque at the same time but Khan was riding. He observed Khan being chased by the youngsters but did not see them beat him.
“He was riding the bike and they start running on the side walk going to the direction he was going — before I got to the block where they beat him up and throw him down, they were running back laughing,†Ali said.
He believes Khan’s attack is a Hate Crime and calls on the New York Police Department (NYPD) to do its job and bring the youngsters to justice. Ali explained that after he saw the young men running in the opposite direction and laughing shortly after chasing Khan, he felt something was wrong.
“I get a gut feeling something bad happen… I didn’t see them throw him down but it had to be them,†he said emphatically.
Ali is of the opinion that Khan, a devout Muslim was targeted because he was clad in Muslim attire.
“We were both in the same area… why did they target him and not me… it had to be because he was wearing his Muslim attire and I wasn’t.â€
He said as the trio ran away laughing heartily, he rushed to the aid of his friend. When he arrived he saw Khan bleeding profusely on the side of the street. He then called for an ambulance and the injured man was taken to the Jamaica Hospital Medical Centre where he is being treated.
NEVER COMPLAINED
Wife of the injured man, Bissoondai ‘Rani’ Khan said she’s distraught by the incident. She said her husband has never complained of being targeted before because of his religion before.
She told Guyana Chronicle that her husband will be undergoing a surgery to his face today after which he has to be admitted to a rehabilitation centre.
She could not provide a likely timeframe for her husband to be released from hospital. The distraught woman said “They didn’t rob him, didn’t take away anything†as she reiterated the view that her husband’s attack is a hate crime.
“He was coming from mosque and someone called and told me he was hit… by the time I got there the ambulance was there… when I got there, I saw they had him in a stretcher… I came to the hospital with them and they ran the tests,†Mrs Khan recounted.
Mrs Khan said her husband has suffered broken bones to the face and head injury. The incident, she said the incident occurred around 205 Hollis Street, Queens and the family’s house was not far away. “We are at 201 and the mosque is at 207 and it happened around 205.â€
Meanwhile, Jessica MacDonnell, the injured man’s sister travelled from Toronto to be by her brother’s side in hospital after she learnt of the incident.
She said her brother was reportedly punched to the face while riding and fell off his bicycle where he hit his head. While on the ground, it is believed that Khan received additional blows to his head.
“When the guy saw him he was bleeding profusely from the head—cut on head and took him to the hospital where he has four or six broken bones in his face, cheek bones broken, nose, face swollen… the cut in the head was worrisome because he developed a brain clot as he bled in the brain.â€
MacDonnell said her brother is responding though his eyes are still swollen and he can’t remember what happened last Wednesday.
“Now he is talking but eyes are swollen — he does not remember what happened to him. He is asking what happened—he is confused,†said Khan’s sister.
She explained that her brother is recognising voices and responding to family members but is consistently asking his relatives what transpired that resulted in him being in hospital.
“My brother goes to masjid every night… on sunny days he rides his bike… the only time he doesn’t ride is if it is snowing or raining,†MacDonnell told the Guyana Chronicle.
The relatives of Khan are hopeful that the perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice soon.
