MAKKAH — The Muslim World League (MWL) has expressed profound grief over the demise of Sheikh Hassan Sharif, the Imam of Muhammad-Newark Mosque in New Jersey, who tragically lost his life in a shooting incident outside the mosque on Wednesday morning. According to the masjid officials, the lone gunman approached the imam who just finished leading the pre-dawn Fajr prayer and shot him more than once. Police said the imam was rushed to the University Hospital where he died later in the afternoon. In a statement from the General Secretariat of the MWL, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the MWL and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, extended heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased, the members of his mosque, and the broader Muslim community in the United States. Dr. Al-Issa reaffirmed that the MWL is vigilantly monitoring the situation and expressed full confidence in the American authorities to apprehend the perpetrator and ensure justice is served. He emphasized the MWL"s commitment to fostering unity among the American people and to thwart any criminal acts that disrupt societal harmony and its religious and ethnic diversity. He concluded with prayers for the departed soul, beseeching Allah to shower His mercy upon the deceased imam and to provide his family with patience and comfort during this difficult time.