SALT LAKE CITY — Syed Sohail Uddin has been fighting for his life in the hospital ever since he was stabbed at the Valley Fair Mall in West Valley on Monday.
“He is still in shock,” said family friend Adnan Mohammed. “I was with him for the past two nights, and I see him suffering from pain, and that's terrible.”
The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office filed two counts of aggravated attempted murder against suspect Peter Larsen, who is being accused of stabbing Sohail over his religion.
“You do want to tell your family members, 'Hey, be careful of your surroundings,'” said Imam Shuaib Din with the Utah Islamic Center. “It does make you wonder, is this still a country where you can feel safe?”
Larsen was also charged with a hate crime, which will be considered during sentencing should he be convicted.
“This is not the time for revenge. I believe this is the time for public safety, healing. This is what our response is. We don't have hate against anyone, or we want a specific charge on him. No, we will leave it on the justice system,” Mohammed said.
However, the topic of safety is still on everyone’s mind, especially the Islamic community.
“Utah is my home. I don't want to feel unsafe in my own state and own country," added Mohammed. "I have daughters. I want to raise them."
Mohammed feels some sort of safety program needs to be started. Imam Shuaib echoed those sentiments and said they can’t do it alone.
“All of our elected officials, they need to condemn this," he said. "They need to come to the podium and say loud and clear in one voice that this was abhorrent, unacceptable."
The state's top politician, Governor Spencer Cox, shared support for Sohail and the Islamic community in a social media message Friday.
"Our hearts are with Sohail as he recovers from this horrific attack," Cox wrote. "Religious freedom is one of America’s most fundamental liberties, and violence against anyone because of their faith has no place in Utah."
Mohammed said Sohail has a long road to recovery and hopes that one day there will be peace in his community.
“It's a short life. You're not living here for 200 years. It's a very short period of time we'll spend in this world and just live with peace and happiness," Mohammed said. "I’ll just leave it on the justice system, and I have full confidence in them."
A town hall will be held at the Utah Islamic Center on Wednesday at 6 p.m., where community members can communicate with elected officials and law enforcement about their safety.
