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High-profile Muslim shot dead in Canada
Canada.com A high-profile member of the Muslim community in Surrey, western Canada, has been shot and killed. Riasat Ali Khan, 69, was gunned down Sunday evening as he got out of his car in front of his home. He staggered to the door of his house, where he was found by his son. Khan was a businessperson and federal Liberal party supporter. RCMP said Monday they have no motive and no suspects in the killing. An older-model pickup truck, possibly a Toyota, was seen leaving the area. Khan's nephew is calling the murder a cowardly, cold-blood attack and says his uncle had no enemies that he knew of. The family is offering a $50,000 reward for information on the shooting. Khan helped to found the Pakistani-Canada Association and the first Mosque in the Vancouver area. "We are urgently pressing the police to find Riasat Ali Khan's killer or killers, as soon as possible and bring them to justice," said a shaken Dr. Mohamed Elmasry, national president of the Canadian Islamic Congress. "We also hope that law enforcement agencies in the greater Vancouver area will seriously probe the background of this crime to determine if it was racially motivated." Elmasry, who visited Muslim organizations in southern British Columbia only two months ago, emphasized that Canadian Muslims are deeply feeling the effects of a recent anti-Islam hate wave. The murder of a beloved local leader has only exacerbated their fear and stress. I suppose it could be an anti-Muslim or anti-Pak "hate crime." It could also be a random act of lawlessness â even the Great White North isn't free of street crime. It could also be the appearance of the kind of tedious assassination campaigns that are common in Islamic paradises like Pakistan and Algeria. Take your pick, until the cops nab somebody, then ask him. Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-01-07 |
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