Columbus Police did a sloppy job handling the kidnapping and murder of Imam Mohamed Adam

by Mahmoud El-Yousseph
December 26, 2021
Police car

The Columbus Police Department (CPD) did a sloppy job handling the kidnapping and murder of Imam Mohamed Adam.

The family of the Somali Imam Mohamed Hasan Adam is unable to pay respect for their son and bury his remains properly after he was shot dead last Friday. Holding the remains for more than 24 hours violates the Islamic law of burial as well as the Jewish law of burial. CPD did a lousy job from day one when Imam Mohamad was kidnapped last Wednesday evening. It took an army of volunteer Somali search and rescue teams to locate the Imam. Sadly, he was found dead already. He must have been shot three hours before the Somali search teams located his body inside his car.

It took the CPD 24 hours to positively identify the victims even though his family and friends were able to identify him Friday afternoon. I asked a highly-respected Somali leader and a friend of mine Abukar Arman today Saturday about the burial time. I was shocked and angry when he told me that the Corner's office has so far not released the body to the family. That is ludicrous and unacceptable! It is an outrage that Columbus city officials are prolonging the agony and suffering of the entire Somali community thus violating Muslim burial laws by taking their jolly time.

Two years ago during the Nashville suicide bombing, the government deployed 250 FBI agents and set up tips hotlines. As a result, we found out the same day the name and the motive of the perpetrator. The kidnapping of Imam Adam would have had a different outcome if the government has treated the case as a terrorist attack and with the same urgency as it did with the Nashville Christmas bombing.

City officials should return the Imam's return for proper burial and stop with their dilly-dally. Those officials need to take ethnic sensitivity educational classes.

I have not heard or read about any city or state officials who issued statements expressing sympathy or outrage over the tragic death of Imam Mohamed Hasan Adam. The Somali community and the Muslim community at large will remember during the election.