By According to friends and family members of Mohammed Anwar, he was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend who always provided a smile when you needed one. On Tuesday March 23rd, Mohammad Anwar was murdered. He was 66 years old.
Anwar was an immigrant who came to the United States to create a better life for him and his family.
Anwar was working as an Uber Eats driver, “providing for his family, when his life was tragically taken in an appalling act of violence. The details are still being investigated, however we know that Anwar was working on an UberEats delivery when two assailants attempted to carjack him in Navy Yard,” according to the GoFundMe page set up by his family. This is devastating. Like me, Anwar was an immigrant who came to the United States to create a better life for him and his family.
The reasons of this act of violence remains unclear, but the American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee released a statement calling on the Metropolitan Police Department to investigate the death as a hate crime:
“The American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee expresses our deepest condolences and prayers to the family of Mohammad Anwar, a Pakistani American from Springfield, Virginia who was brutally attacked and killed yesterday in Washington D.C. Mr. Anwar was a devoted father, husband, uncle, and grandfather who worked hard every day to provide a better life for his loved ones. His death is a devastating loss to his family and community and our hearts go out to all who are mourning his loss.
This unspeakable act is another tragic example of the hatred and violence that Muslim Americans regularly endure. We demand authorities investigate this incident as a hate crime and prosecute the alleged assailants to the fullest extent of the law.
The number of assaults against Muslims in the United States rose significantly between 2015 and 2016.
As our nation reckons with rising incidents of hate and violence directed toward minority communities, APPAC stands in solidarity with all who fall victim to the senseless consequences of Islamophobia, racism, xenophobia, religious prejudice and oppression.”
Nonetheless, according to a research conducted by the Pew Research Center “The number of assaults against Muslims in the United States rose significantly between 2015 and 2016.” Islamophobia, racism, discrimination, xenophobia, and hate crimes are challenging and dangerous problems faced by immigrants and Muslims in the United States.
Additionally, a video of Anwar’s death is circulating online which is not allowing the family to mourn properly, and is dehumanizing.
Anwar leaves behind a wife, three adult children, and four grandchildren. May he rest in peace.