A masked man pulled what appeared to be a gun during Friday prayers at the Muslim Center of New York in Flushing, Queens, on July 4. Worshippers tackled him and held him down until police arrived. The weapon turned out to be a BB gun. Police identified the suspect as Sheikh Haque, 33, of Buffalo.

Haque was charged with weapons possession and menacing. He was not charged with a hate crime. Another detail the police did not emphasize: Haque is Muslim.

That detail did not slow down New York Attorney General Letitia James, who moved immediately to frame the incident as Islamophobia.

James posted on X/Twitter:

Today, a masked individual reached into his pocket to pull out what appeared to be a deadly weapon during Friday Prayers at the Muslim Center.

This is horrific under any circumstances, especially when a community is joining in prayer.

We must stand united against Islamophobia. https://t.co/yGdC3XdcKs

— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) July 3, 2026

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not use the word Islamophobia, but he used the same fear-and-intimidation frame in his own post.

Mamdani posted on X/Twitter:

Yesterday, during Friday prayers at the Muslim Center of New York in Queens, a man reached for his pocket and congregants saw what looked like a firearm, creating a terrifying situation for Muslim New Yorkers who had gathered to worship.

I’m immensely grateful and relieved that…

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 4, 2026

“Yesterday, during Friday prayers at the Muslim Center of New York in Queens, a man reached for his pocket, and congregants saw what looked like a firearm, creating a terrifying situation for Muslim New Yorkers who had gathered to worship.

I’m immensely grateful and relieved that an MTA employee, a cab driver, and an NYPD officer acted quickly to help ensure no one was hurt. Every New Yorker should be able to observe their religion without fear or intimidation.”

Rep. Grace Meng’s response was notably more measured. She thanked those who intervened and made a point of noting the weapon was a BB gun, not a firearm.

During Friday prayers at the Muslim Center of New York in Flushing, a masked individual pulled what appeared to be a deadly weapon, which turned out to be a BB gun. I’m grateful for the law enforcement individual on the scene and the brave bystanders who took action to disarm this person, who also held him down until police arrived.

Sen. Chuck Schumer joined the chorus, calling it a “potential act of violence in a house of worship” and declaring “Islamophobia is unacceptable,” also without noting that the suspect was Muslim.

But police had not charged a hate crime. They had a weapons possession and menacing case involving a BB gun, a suspect identified as Sheikh Haque, and no clear public explanation for why he was in Flushing or why he disturbed the service.

The omission did not go unnoticed. One user replied directly to Mamdani’s post:

The man who committed this act of violence against Muslims was Muslim.

Mamdani does not say that though because he is a fork-tongued deceiver. https://t.co/EHRTLXQm8V

— Kevin Bass (@kevinnbass) July 5, 2026

The reaction online reflected what many readers were already thinking. The worshippers who tackled Haque acted quickly and deserve credit. So does the NYPD officer, the MTA employee, and the cab driver, Mamdani acknowledged. The incident was real and alarming.

What was not warranted was the reflexive rush to an Islamophobia narrative built on selective facts, by officials who knew, or should have known, that the suspect shared the faith of the people he frightened. That is not advocacy for a community. That is using a community as a prop.

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