After Pike County Mosque Shooting, Faith Leaders and PA Officials Stand Behind Members

Pike County community members and local and state officials are rallying behind a mosque after a shooting at the Pike County Islamic Center in Matamoras, Pennsylvania.

During the early morning hours of February 22, multiple shots were fired into the mosque building hours after Ramadan evening prayers.

Mohammed Alhomsi, a spokesperson for the Pike County Islamic Center, was at the mosque with his wife and 8-year old daughter a few hours before the shooting. The family, along with about 100 other people, congregated to break their fasts together during the holy month of Ramadan.

When he returned to the mosque the next morning, he says mosque leaders found signs of a shooting, including a bullet on the ground, a shattered glass door, and damaged ceilings and walls. Nobody was in the building at the time of the shooting.

“Although [we’re] so glad that there was no one there during the shooting, this really took a toll when we’re trying to explain it to our families of what happened. Now, they’re not really encouraged to be in that physical space,” said Alhomsi.

READ: Police Investigating Shooting at Pike County Islamic Center as Bias Crime

The Eastern Pike Regional Police Department and Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime, though no arrests have been made.

Philadelphia’s chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia) is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the shooting.

The Pike County Islamic Center opened its doors last August as a hub to support the growing Muslim community in Pike County.

The mosque sits about a mile from the Delaware River near the point where the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania state borders converge.

Many of the center’s members would frequent the Middletown Islamic Center in Middletown, New York before its opening. Ermin Siljkovic, a spokesperson for the Middletown Islamic Center, told Radio Catskill that the local mosque serves about 500 congregants regularly. Since the shooting, they’ve increased security and requested more frequent police patrols in the area.

“While we remain vigilant at our mosque and in the communities we reside, we also condemn any act of violence on any place of worship or gathering of people anywhere,” said Siljkovic.

Interfaith leaders, officials show support for Pike’s only mosque

Alhomsi said the congregation is grateful for the overwhelming support they’ve received from community members, faith leaders including Jewish and Christian organizations, and local and state officials.

On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro visited the Pike County Islamic Center to condemn the shooting. He shared how his own home was firebombed hours after he and his family celebrated Passover in April 2025.

“To our Muslim neighbors all across Pennsylvania: I’ve got your back. And you will always have a home here in our Commonwealth,” said Shapiro in a Facebook post .

The Pike County Board of Commissioners also condemned the shooting in a press statement, expressing their “unwavering support of religious freedom, the right to which is bestowed in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.”

Ahmet Tekelioglu, Executive Director of CAIR-Philadelphia, said anti-Muslim attacks in Pennsylvania have increased over the last decade. He adds that many requests from mosques he receives are focused on safety, especially keeping congregation members safe from federal immigration agents.

Tekelioglu said the memory of Islamophobic attacks, including the 2019 New Zealand shootings where a gunman killed 51 people at two mosques, remains fresh.

“[These attacks] have definitely increased alarm bells in our communities,” said Tekelioglu. “We have started putting out more of our guidance in terms of how to make sure that you have a welcoming and yet secure house of worship at these challenging times.”

While police investigations remain ongoing. Alhomsi is calling for accountability.

“We’re just hoping that whoever is responsible for this… this is unacceptable to happen, especially in a place of worship. Whether it’s an Islamic, Christian, or Jewish center, a church or synagogue or temple, no one is there to hurt anybody,” said Alhomsi. “No one’s there to bother anybody and [it] should be a safe space where people should not have to feel threatened just by being there.”

Update: This article was updated on March 3 to include a comment from the Middletown Islamic Center.

Image: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro addresses the crowd at the Pike County Islamic Center in Matamoras, Pennsylvania (Photo Credit: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro )