Muslim Leaders Demand Queens Murders Be Classified As Hate Crimes

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Muslim leaders gathered on the steps of City Hall on Thursday, demanding that the murders of an imam and his associate in Queens be labeled as a hate crime.

Imam Maulana Alauddin Akonjee, 55, and Thara Uddin, 64, were gunned down Saturday afternoon after leaving their mosque in Ozone Park.

Abdul Bhuiyan of the New York Islamic Leadership Council said anti-Muslim bigotry is on the rise, and warns political rhetoric, including from Donald Trump, may have sparked the killings, 1010 WINS' Roger Stern reported.

Bhuiyan said every word is "trying to divide Americans based on race, ethnicity and color."

He said the shooting makes the Muslim community even more afraid.

"They still wear their traditional dress, so they're worried that these two innocent gentlemen...were targeted because of the way they're dressed. That's what they're afraid of," Bhuiyan said.

Uddin's sister-in-law said her 12-year-old son has been afraid to leave home since the shooting.

"He always play with his friend outside and now since last Saturday he don't go out," Ifia Uddin said. "Everybody's scared to go out now."

Oscar Morel, 35, is charged in the murders. He is being held without bail.

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said they must determine a motive before classifying the murders as a hate crime.