By Jennifer Langston
Herald Writer
Islamic leaders are urging caution in jumping to conclusions about how a Somali man came to be found dead under a Snohomish County bridge.
Mohamed Salah Hassan, 21, died after being beaten and abandoned near a Pilchuck River bridge southeast of Lake Stevens on Saturday.
His body, first spotted by someone walking in the rural neighborhood along OK Mill Road, had only a faint pulse when deputies arrived. He died the next day of head injuries at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Hassan, whose parents came to this country from Somalia when he was 6 years old, moved to the Rainier Valley in Seattle from Atlanta a few months ago, according to a Seattle caseworker who works with east African immigrants.
Given the sporadic backlash against Arabs and Muslims since the terrorist attacks last month, the apparent murder has left some wondering if it was a hate crime.
But Hassan had strayed from Islam, becoming Americanized and drinking alcohol. That led to tensions with his parents, said Bethel Isaac, who works for the Central Area Motivation Program and spoke with Hassan’s uncle Thursday.
"Even he doesn’t know whether the motive was religion or drugs," Isaac said.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the homicide but has released few details about the case.
Hisham Farajallah, director of the Idriss Mosque in north Seattle, said he doesn’t want to rule anything out, but there’s simply too little information to draw a conclusion yet.
"Yes, it happened in these times, and yes, there is community concern," he said Thursday. "We should not jump to conclusions about whether it is a hate crime or isn’t a hate crime without a detailed investigation."
Mohamed Jama, chairman of Somali Community Services in Seattle — an organization that renders social and interpretive aid to Somali immigrants and citizens — said there are a number of theories about Hassan’s death floating around the community.
"People really are divided. Some say he was a member of a gang. A few are thinking it might be related to hatred," he said. "It’s really premature. … We are not clear about anything."
You can call Herald Writer Jennifer Langston at 425-339-3452
or send e-mail to langston@heraldnet.com.
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