Muslim Groups Offer Reward for Arrests for Crimes

Philadelphia (USA): A recent wave of bank hold-ups and a homicide committed by men dressed as Muslim women has prompted the Philadelphia-area Muslim community to offer a $20,000 reward for tips that lead to the arrest and  conviction of the suspects. The  Majlis- e- Shura, an organisation representing the membership of 71 mosques and congregations in the Philadelphia area held a press  conference on this last fortnight. “Philadelphia is a unique city in that Islam is not new here,” said Aliya Khabir, a public relations  official representing the national United Muslim Masjid. “It’s up to us to set the tone for how this is addressed.” Since December, there  have been at least five bank robberies in Philadelphia in which the suspects wore Muslim women’s hijab. On April 18, a suspect dressed  in Muslim garb entered an Upper Darby  barber shop and fatally shot Michael Turner, 35. Sharif Wynn, 27, of Philadelphia has been  arrested. Both members of the Majlis ““e- Shura and Councilman, Curtis Jones Jr. said other major U.S. cities have not faced this issue.  Jones said he did not believe a single group was responsible for the hold-ups, but rather that some “not-too-smart criminals” were  using the disguise to get closer to their victims.Amir Imam al-Atharee, a member  of the Majlis ““e- Shura said this kind of activity makes it dangerous for Muslim  omen and the community. “You put everyone in danger,” Jones said, referring to the criminals. “We’ve been through enough since 9/11.