Muhammad Afzaal Hussain

The late Muhammad Afzaal Hussain spent time with his nephews hiking, camping and fishing each summer. 

“He was born a leader,” Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain said of his younger brother, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, who was shot and killed less than a block from their apartment building in Albuquerque.  

Muhammad Afzaal led the planning and land use department in the City of Española, 90 miles away. 

He was born and raised almost 8,000 miles away, in Pakistan, in the state of Punjab, which borders India. 

Muhammad Afzaal was born on December 31, 1994 and he died on August 1, 2022. 

He was the youngest of five siblings — four brothers and one sister. Their father was an elementary school teacher.

Muhammad Afzaal spoke Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and English and was “a very active and intelligent student,” according to his brother. He was deemed a prefect, a title given to student leaders in Pakistani schools, and his mother used to say he could “work for two people.” 

He enjoyed playing and watching cricket (“He was a fast bowler”), and he had an “addiction to fishing,” mostly for salmon and trout.  

Muhammad Afzaal received a master’s degree in human resources management and personnel administration from University of the Punjab. 

After Muhammad Imtiaz moved to Albuquerque in 2014, he suggested that his brother pursue a degree at University of New Mexico. Muhammad Afzaal moved from Pakistan in 2017 and was accepted into a community and regional planning program at the university. Muhammad Afzaal was elected president of the Graduate and Professional Student Association in 2019 — the second Muslim to be elected to the role and the first South Asian, Muhammad Imtiaz said. As president of the association, he worked closely with the school’s board of regents and represented the university during state legislative sessions. 

New Mexico State Auditor Brian Colón, who had served as the association’s president in the ‘90s, said he became Muhammad Afzaal’s mentor after the latter reached out to him. Colón “always addressed him as Mr. President” as they continued to meet for lunches over the years. Colón said the two had previously made plans for the week after Muhammad Afzaal was killed. 

“He had an incredible ability to put everyone at ease by the way he engaged with them,” Colón said. “People enjoyed working with him. He never seemed to have a personal agenda. His agenda was about helping others and serving the community.”

In 2021, Hussain worked as a field organizer for U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury’s successful congressional campaign.

Stansbury attended his funeral on Aug. 5 and spoke during a Tuesday press conference, memorializing her “dear friend and former staffer”: 

“Muhammad was kind, hopeful, optimistic. A city planner who believed in democracy and in social change and who believed that we could, in fact, build a brighter future for our communities and for our world.” 

In a statement, Stansbury wrote that New Mexico was lucky to receive Muhammad Afzaal, “a dedicated urban planner for Española,” as “he was committed to making our public spaces work for every person and cleaning up legacy pollution.”

While living in an apartment next to his brother’s, Muhammad Afzaal grew close with his niece and three nephews, taking them camping, hiking and fishing all over the state. 

“He basically shared my burden raising the kids,” Muhammad Imtiaz said. “They were very close to their uncle.” 

Muhammad Afzaal never married or had children of his own, but he did wish to start a family. Shortly before his death, he was planning to move to Española to live on city-owned property on the Prince Carter Ranch, City Manager Jordan Yutzy confirmed. 

“He was so glad,” Muhammad Imtiaz said. “He wanted to get married and raise his kids there. He would have a big place to live and raise kids, make friends and have barbecues on weekends. It was the American dream.” 

By all accounts, Muhammad Afzaal was excited to soon be putting down roots in Española. 

Sufi Azhar Mustafa, an air quality scientist and teacher at Central New Mexico Community College, attested to Muhammad Afzaal’s passion for Española. 

“His last talks with me were about Española,” Mustafa said. “How he was going to make it a better city. He was working to make it easy for new housing development. He was not a guy who sat around and talked about cars or clothes; he always talked about things he wanted to do and how things could improve for common people. One day when he was in politics, he was going to make sure things happened for common people.” 

Mustafa said he and Muhammad Afzaal spoke often about taking a camping trip to Chama or Questa when they could both get away for a three-day weekend.

On Aug. 5, mourners from the City of Española, UNM and Albuquerque’s Muslim community gathered at the Islamic Center of New Mexico for a funeral ceremony to honor Muhammad Afzaal and Aftab Hussein — another Muslim man who was shot only days before. 

Inside the masjid, rows of hundreds of men knelt in prayer throughout the service. 

“Continue your life,” Imam Dr. Mahmoud Eldenawi said to the room full of grieving men. “You were created for a mission. You were created for a job ... He created you to do something useful, to your community, to your people, to yourself, someone who can bring benefit to others ... Whether you’re a businessman, professor, physician, lawyer, you have a mission ... you are here to build; you are not here to destroy.”

Attendees left the building, and many walked half a block to Fairview Memorial Park to take part in burying the two men. 

Wrapped in a plain white sheet, Muhammad Afzaal’s body was lowered into the grave on a stretcher. As a truckload of dirt was poured into the grave, several men grabbed handfuls to toss into the grave themselves.

“Muhammad was our pride and joy,” Ahmad Assed, president of the Islamic Center, said. “Muhammad Afzaal, may Allah have mercy on his soul, was a dedicated servant to this community and to the larger community. He’s someone we’re very proud of, a very caring sweet human being who was on his way up to bigger things. This is a very sad situation to remember the talent this young man had and the love he had to share.”

Española City Councilor Denise Benavidez travelled to Albuquerque to attend the service, along with many other city officials. 

“What a brilliant individual,” she said. “Anybody who worked with him loved him. He was so excited to move to Española. He had big plans for the city, and it’s a tough loss for us. Most people take the job for the job, but he had a vision.”  

Hussain was the director of Española’s planning and land use department for one day shy of one year.

“He’s going to be greatly missed,” Planning Commission Chair JR Trujillo said. “He was such a kind, loving individual. We’re all heartbroken.” 

Javier Sánchez, former mayor of Española, recalled Hussain’s impressive knowledge of city planning as well as his vision for a city “with unique challenges and a lot of potential.”

“He was always so positive about the changes we could make that would help put the city in the right place,” Sánchez said. “Everybody loved him not only because he was personable but also because he was so energetic in how he wanted to accomplish great things for the City of Española. He was working with directors from other departments — like water and wastewater — and on grants ... he became a pivotal piece of that fabric.”  

On Thursday, Aug. 11, the City of Española will hold a celebration of life for Muhammad Afzaal from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Plaza de Española. The announcement states “wearing a mask is encouraged” and “please bring a lawn chair.” 

A GoFundMe fundraiser organized by city Community Development Coordinator Lou Baker in coordination with the Hussain family has raised more than $10,000 as of Aug. 4. 

“The monies will help cover funeral costs and provide a financial cushion since Muhammad was the sole family provider,” the fundraiser webpage states. “In addition, Imtiaz, Muhammad’s brother, says Muhammad loved education. He believed education empowers a person and a community. Funds will be used to honor Muhammad by funding a school in Pakistan for poor children.”

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