Since September 11th, and the war against terror, Britain’s mosques are headline news.From Croydon to Finsbury Park, Leicester to Tipton, those who run mosques have become the centre of public interest.Tonight growing numbers of British Muslims reveal why they’re no longer prepared to tolerate imams and mosque committees who betray their trust.
PRE-TITLE
TITLE:TROUBLE AT THE MOSQUE
Finsbury Park Mosque in North London has become notorious for its links to terrorism. The mosque has been connected to terrorist attacks in the Yemen, the Brixton shoe bomber and British Taliban fighters currently held in Cuba.At the centre of the controversy is Abu Hamza, vocal supporter of Osama Bin Laden.
Abu Hamza SOVT
When an aeroplane goes down, now is it a Lockerbie or an SOS net?
DATE ASTON
But it’s the way he was able to take over the mosque and impose his own hard line views which has given most cause for concern amongst other Muslims.
Abu Hamza SOVT
The idea is to slow down and make the sky very high risk for anybody who flies.
Mufti Barkatulla
This sort of approach is enormously damaging to the reputation of Islam and Muslim community in UK. They’re using Islam as a tool. They have hijacked the holy verses for their own political agenda.
Abu Hamza’s political activities also reveal a flawed system, where one man can forcibly take control of a mosque at the expense of the regular worshippers.
Mufti Barkatulla is a trustee of the Finsbury Park mosque. Officially he’s supposed to oversee what goes on there but is actually too scared to go inside.
Mufti BarkatullaI’m completely powerless; I fear that I will be intimidated. They will abuse me verbally and sometimes physically if they can.
When Finsbury Park mosque was opened in 1985 it was the pride of the community,supported by Prince Charles and nearly a million pounds from the Saudi Royal family.But within five years the mosque was in trouble. Civil war had broken out on the committee, so strange as it now seems, the charismatic Abu Hamza was invited to sort things out.
Sync BarkatullaHe came as a go between but he gradually elevated himself to the Lord and King of the mosque.
Hamza came to the mosque as an employee of the trustees but soon imposed his own authority.
Mufti Barkutalla
The trustees could no longer communicate with each other and the board collapsed. Abu Hamza took every control in the mosque.
It wasn’t long before Hamza was using his influence to promote a Holy War on the West.
Watching video
SOVT Jihad video
Allah guarantees that he will admit the Mujad in his cause into paradise if he is killed.
Alarmed, the trustees…as guarantors of the mosque’s integrity…tried to challenge the way Hamza was running things, with a court injunction.It only made things worse.
Sync Barkatulla
At that point Abu Hamza became extremely violent. As a result of the court injunction we went to the mosque to try and install the regular Imam on a Friday, but we were bundled out by force.
The trustees can’t afford to go back to court - so they’re stuck with the status quo.Its unclear who’s legally in charge here - but in reality Abu Hamza controls the mosque.
Sync Barkatulla
Since that time he has been behaving differently, sometimes threatening the trustees and sometimes holding the trust to hostage - sometimes acting conciliatory.
With no outside religious body able to impose order the mosque has fallen into disrepair. A far cry from its lavish beginnings.
Sync Barkatulla
The building is running down as a derelict, level of services are going down. It’s a smelly and filthy old mosque really.
Sheikh Zaki Badawi
The pulpit has such magic, and the Imam from the pulpit can influence the community (in many respects), which need to be supervised, needs to be controlled.
Dr Badawi heads Britain’s leading Muslim legal authority. He says control isn’t as straightforward as in the Church.
We don’t have a clergy we don’t have a structure like a church, all mosques are equal, all Imams are independent.
So without a governing body running British mosques, disputes can simply go and on, as Muslims in Luton have found to their cost.
ARCHIVE SOVT
Today’s prayer meeting followed the scenes last night where supporters of the Imam tried to break into the building and police were called to the troubled mosque.
LUTON ARCHIVEDATE ASTONSOURCE ASTON
In 1992 the Muslim community of Luton hit the media spotlight when there was a stand off between the Imam and the mosque committee.
Sync Akbar Khan
We were laughed at and rightly so. We had built this great big place, and another place up the road and yet some of us were praying inside, some of us were praying outside making a spectacle of ourselves.
Luton’s first Muslim migrants arrived in the fifties and sixties, when men like Akbar Khan came from the Kashmiri region of Pakistan.
Akbar Khan
Luton was an attractive place to come to work because of everybody knew someone down here and it was very close to the airport, and Vauxhall’s gave a good wage packet at the end of the week.
After a stint at Vauxhall’s and the Post Office, Khan turned to taxi driving. Like many others his plan wasn’t always to stay.
Akbar Khan
We will work for a while, earn some money and buy a house and get on with life back in other Kashmir.
Those early migrants kept in touch with the old country and each other through their religion.They clubbed together and bought a terraced house, and then another and finally a third.
When families joined the men in the mid seventies, the community decided it was time for a more permanent solution. They started to raise money to build a purpose built mosque and community centre.
Akbar KhanIt’s a working class community. Where people would save £50 a week, and out of that £50, £20 - £25 would save mosque project and the project up the road.
The mosque appointed an Imam to guide the community and help coordinate support for the mosque project. As the figurehead of a million pound project Imam Abdul Chisty developed a loyal following and huge personal authority.
Akbar Khan
People virtually gave money to him, trusting that he is the man whatever is coming out of his mouth is truth.
Building began in 1982 and to keep some continuity the mosque committee decided to postpone elections and stay on beyond their allotted two years. But within another year things started to turn sour.
Akbar Khan
When people would like to ask to questions about the running of the mosque, about the funds and about when elections would be held they would not get any answer out of that management committee or for that matter the Imam who was the lynchpin of the whole thing.
Akbar Khan wasn’t alone in his concern about the power wielded by the Imam
Mohammed Bashir
Mr Chisty was himself manager, he was himself trustees and everything he was controlling himself.
The trust say Mr Chisty has had no management role at any time and that the decision to become a trust was taken by a properly constituted AGM. Some members see it otherwise.
Akbar Khan
And then it dawned upon us that there are no elections, there is this trust for life, and these people are owners for life, managers for life.
The Mosque was finally completed in 1985, but with Chisty’s strong religious influence challenging the Imam or the committee was becoming a risky business.
Mohammed Bashir
I remember one Friday prayer in the month of Ramadam, more than a thousand people in the mosque when I raised this question, I said from last 10 years, there is no accountability there is no elections and I feel strongly there is something wrong going on.His supporters try to fight me and there was a number of occasions it happens.
Akbar Khan
People would stand up from various corners and shout us down and threaten us with violence.
Mohammed Bashir
One occasion on a Friday we had a fight in the mosque, downstairs hall.
Akbar Khan
It was a harrowing experience; we were treated like criminals and vagabonds. How dare we challenge them righteous people. How dare we stand up in the mosque on a Friday?
Akbar and Mohammed’s stand began slowly to gain the support of other members.
By May 1992, 700 of them decided they’d had enough. They elected a new committee to run the mosque, which then tried to find a way of working with the Imam.
Mohammed Bashir
We did request him, we’ve got total support of muslim community and we won the election and we wanted to run the mosque within proper constitutions.
Akbar Khan
His reply was no, he wasn’t willing to recognise these elections and he’s not willing to work with us.
Mohammed Bashir
So next day we simply physically removed him from the mosque.
But Imam Chisty wasn’t about to go quietly.
SOVT Archive
The Imam ousted from the Central Mosque held lunchtime prayers in the car park while his opponents held a service inside.
Chisty
I think that now we have tried our best, lets now decide in court what’s going to happen. ASTON May 1992Imam Abdul
Chisty
Akbar
The group of fifteen who have been holding power for all these years are accountable to none.
Akbar Khan
Imam Chisty refused to back down and took his battle to the High Court in London. With no higher religious authority to turn to, the two sides fought it out for another five years at a cost to the community of a hundred thousand pounds.
Akbar Khan
As a result of that terrible exercise, and a lot expense and a lot of grief, we have this constitution that should protect us from one person or part of the community governing things to the exclusion of others
In 1997 the High Court ruled that Luton mosque should hold regular elections, and organise a set of rules to limit the power of the Imam and committee over the membership.
Zaki Badawi
The whole idea of the mosque is a balance between the religious authority, that is the Imam and what you might call the administrative authority that is the council.
One of the first jobs of the new council or committee was to ensure that donations were properly accounted for. And although the court ruled that those charge of the mosque before 1992 should hand over accounts none have yet appeared so no-one knows how much was raised or spent.
Akbar Khan
We don’t have any idea and the community at large doesn’t have any idea what happened to that money and how it was spent.
Mr Chisty still runs the community centre built whilst he was in charge of the mosque.A spokesman for Mr Chisty said the facility was open to anyone who applied to the management committee but some local muslims feel excluded.
Sync Akbar Khan
He is chief trustee, and he enjoys so much power. The community is by and large excluded from using that place.
Sync Mohammed Bashir
We’ve been trusting him, he’s an Imam. He’s leading prayers, he’s performing other Islamic duties but he betrayed us very badly.
Photo of Mr Chisty
British Muslims can find themselves powerless if their Imam decides to behave badly and simply ignore his congregation. But abuse of office can be even more difficult to control in the small local mosques.
PART TWO
Islam has more regular worshippers than any other religion in Britain. Every week a new mosque is opened. One of the five pillars of the faith is to give willingly to charity and this often means the mosque.Congregations put a huge amount of trust in the integrity of the Imam and the mosque committee.
Like many new migrants the Bangladeshi community in Bow East London had long wanted their own place of worship.Somewhere local so worshippers like Arzu Miah wouldn’t have to make the four mile round trip to the main East London mosque in Whitechapel.
Arzu Miah
There was no place to pray no place where our kids could learn in their mother tongue and no place to take their Islamic lessons.
Father of four Hussein Lylus also wanted a place to meet the growing community’s cultural needs.
Hussein Lylus
There was no mosque, no place for mostly Asian people and Bangladeshi people, there is no cultural centre, there is nothing for our people.
Three years ago the community believed they’d found a solution through a local Imam. A respected barrister, and former judge in Bangladesh, Kutubuddin Shikder, proposed a new place of worship.
Hussein Lylus
We know from our elders he is a good man, he is a scholar, he is literate man, and that's why we give him a hand, we raise our hand to help him for a place for our religion.
The community were told that a former local pub could be leased and turned into a mosque.Their unconditional trust in the Imam meant there was no reason to question his motives.
Hussein Lylus
We were happy, very much happy, and we gave everything, we spare our time, we spare our money, even our health as well.
Arzu Miah had a severe kidney condition and survived on benefits. But he believed it was important to make sacrifices for the mosque.
Arzu Miah
Even though some of us were on income support we saved money and gave it to the mosque.
What people couldn’t give in money they gave in time and practical help.
Hussein Lylus
He is a kidney patient (referring to Uncle) but he spent more than a year down in the basement to stop the water coming through the walls.
After months of hard work and Community donations totalling at least seventy five thousand pounds the mosque was opened in December 1998. Imam Shikder’s fund raising sermons went into overdrive.
Shikder (recording)
Praise be to Allah! As everyone is saying god is great should I give £100 as well?
JULY 1999
Arzu Miah was himself held up as the model donor and promised eternal happiness.
Everyone can donate on their mothers and fathers souls.This man doesn't have a kidney and still he gave a thousand pounds - Allah be praised - May Allah except his donation and increase the length of his life.
Shikder recording
In early 2000 the Imam suggested that the only way to secure the community’s investment would be to buy the freehold from the owner at an asking price of four hundred and thirty thousand pounds.
Hussein Lylus
The price came through our scholar, Mr Kutubuddin Shikder, we believe him, still we believe him.
Imam Shikder told his congregation they had to move quickly - so the fund raising started up again - this time with a new gimmick: three hundred pounds bought you a special prayer plot.
Hussein Lylus
There is a list of 136 people who gave, three hundred pound each and more than that, minimum 300 pounds and all the money is initialled by Mr Shikdar.When we started going to people, the donors, they start questioning us. Its not a matter of joke, its a lot of money. The £430,000… is it worth it.
Imam Shikder told us that he was approached to purchase the premises and took professional advice which resulted in the asking price.However some members of the community sought an independent survey which said it was worth no more than a hundred and sixty thousand pounds.Concerned about the discrepancy he confronted the Imam.
Hussein Lylus
When we ask him to meet the real owner of the property he made excuses and denied in a different way.
The group checked the land registry to approach the owner directly. There was a big surprise in store.
Hussein Lylus
We discovered that 2nd April 1998 that this property, 246 Bow Road, this property's legal proprietor, owner is Mr Kutubuddin Shikdar, and he was pulling cover on our eyes and our faith and our beliefs.
It turned out that in 1998, Mr Shikder had bought the old pub for ninety five thousand pounds, a quarter of what he was now trying to sell it back to his congregation for.Feeling they had nowhere else to turn worshippers clubbed together to pay for the advice of a solicitor.
Stephen Walker, Solicitor
The first question I asked when they came to me was ‘well where’s constitution, where’s the trust deed, where’s the copies of the authorities and minutes of meetings and so on which gives people authority to do things and they didn’t have them and they said that there had been discussions about producing a constitution and Mr Shikder was dealing with it.
Hussein Lylus
We are in the situation at the moment we are hopeless, we have only for crying and shouting help, help, nobody is raising a hand to help us because people are scared he is a barrister.
In Mr Shikder’s response to the solicitor his tone appeared to show a barely veiled contempt for his congregation.
Stephen WalkerThe only reply I got was an acknowledgement, which was a short letter that said I’m going to see solicitors, and by the way these people are not very rich so please make sure these people have got the money to pay the costs they’ll have to pay when I sue them for defamation.
Mr Shikder remains an Imam at the Bow mosque and still owns the building. He told us that the donations of those that complained were returned to them. Some were but Arzu Miah always maintained that his donations were not. .
Arzu Miah
He has lied to us and deceived us and those who lie and deceive you cannot pray behind them. He leads the prayers on Friday and we can't pray behind him.
Although Shikder maintains he’s done no wrong and the complainants were trouble makers. Arzu Miah was once again forced to make the four mile round trip to the Whitechapel mosque until his death in November last year. Again the local community found it had nowhere to turn when its religious leader had misled them.
In Britain, scandals have forced other major religions to monitor their priests more closely. Some believe British Islam is now facing a similar challenge
Zaki Badawi
You must remember most of our community come from countries is taken by the rich or the powerful.
Some of our Imams do not fulfil their role effectively. This is due to a lack of knowledge of English, lack of understanding of the new society because they are imported from elsewhere.
SOVT Zaki teaching class
At the Muslim College in London Sheikh Zaki Badawi is attempting make imams practicing in Britain more culturally sensitive to our society.
Zaki Badawi
The idea of the college itself is to try and bring Imams who are brought up here or are trained here, to have a broader view of Islam. We hope that in the next few years you will have young people, brought up here, who know the culture here and you have the mosques transformed.
But for now demand is such that the mosques take who they can.The city of Bradford has over fifty mosques and there’s a constant shortage of qualified Imam’s. They’re required to lead prayer but also to provide Koranic education to Muslim children.
Sync Abu Bashir
Many of the Imam’s working in Britain are from abroad. It’s very, very difficult to recruit Imam locally. So whenever you come across someone who is in the position to offer their service, you tend to grab them with your both arms really. There isn’t any stringent test to recruit the best person for the job and that’s a major problem really.
The Home Office have made it easy for Imam’s and other ministers of religion to live in this country. They’re exempt from the usual visa requirements and only need supply a Imam’s certificate of training as a mullah and an offer of employment at a British mosque.This is exactly how Imam Mohammed Amjad came to Britain from Pakistan in 1996 to take up duties as a Koranic teacher.
In 1999 police received a complaint from a local family about Amjad’s behaviour while he was teaching their ten yearold daughter at this mosque in Bradford.
Police recorded the young girl’s statement on video and it was during this session that a picture began to emerge of what had taken place during the koranic lessons.
Sync Bea Hopwood
The children had gone as normal to the mosque in a group and had been having teaching for that particular day. And then he taps on the little girl’s shoulder and said that she had to go up and see him in his office, that he was using as an office and bedroom)
It was in this room that Amjad sexually assaulted the young girl.
Actual testimony“I don’t think he’s good cause he should be like teaching us, than taking us to the room and that. And if he’s teaching us about these things, why can’t other people teach us like..at least they won’t touch your body and that. And he touches your body so I don’t like it”.
Sync Bea Hopwood
When the little girl had gone up there, and he’d interfered with her, he basically intimated that next time when she came up to the bedroom he would show her other things and that scared her. That scared her sufficiently to go to her mum and dad that night and confide in them. .
As the investigation progressed another parent from the mosque came forward. Amjad had also sexually assaulted their son.
Kurt Q:What reaction did you get from the mosque committee itself?Bea HopwoodVery little really, because they wanted to keep it all hush, hush, and obviously wanted to protect their own reputation as well.
Ishtiak Ahmed
I think it’s a community, a minority community who is trying to protect its own integrity and credibility and safeguard kind of its image, and therefore there is a tendency for it to say we will deal with things in house, within our homes, and these are issues which we need to be concerned about and the rest of society needs to really stay out of it.
The independence of each individual mosque and imam means there are no formal guidelines, no rules and regulations to protect children at risk. No one to appeal to if a parent suspects something is wrong.As the court date approached a petition supporting Imam Amjad was circulated on mosque headed paper.We the undersigned indicate our support for Hafiz Mohammed Naeem Amjad and wish him to return to his employment with the mosque as soon as he is able after conclusion of his court case. He is a respected and holy person and we have every confidence in his abilities as a priest.
PETITION
The parents of Amjad’s victims were under enormous pressure not to go through with the court case.
Bea Hopwood
Once the date was arranged, because of the pressure that had been put on the family, the father came forward and didn’t want her to go to court….They’re obviously concerned, especially where a girl’s involved, of her future life, and they worry that it may affects their prospects of marriage in years to come.
But in the end, the families did have the courage to go to court. Amjad was convicted of one count of indecent assault and an act of gross indecency. While he was awaiting sentencing the mosque circulated letters and a second petition in support of their disgraced imam.We the undersigned indicate our continued support for Mr Hafiz Mohammed Amjad and while we regret the circumstances, which led to his recent conviction for offences concerning children at the mosque, we nevertheless confirm that if he is allowed his liberty we will have no objection to him being employed by the mosque if the committee see fit.
ROSTRUM LETTER
Despite their plea Amjad was sentenced to three years in prison in February 2000 and on his release immediately deported.
Abu Bashir
I think clearly, in my opinion, the Muslim community needs to wake up. Although you find people condemning such action, you won't find many committee or mosque organisations has taken any practical step to ensure the children under their care are adequately protected.
The Bradford Council of Mosques is attempting to get its members to adopt a set of government guidelines to protect children in their care.
But these guildelines are not compulsory and so aren’t about to threaten a culture of secrecy that surrounds even some of Britain’s largest mosques.Secrecy that has devastating results for ordinary Muslim families.
PART THREE
Glasgow has over forty thousand Muslims, most of whom were born in Scotland. But as elsewhere in Britain the central mosque remains in the hands of the first generation of immigrants.
Sajjid Hussein
What we actually have is the old guard, the old style, the old village cultural system still exist in present day Scotland…in Glasgow.we have to bring in a system which understands the present indigenous system that understands the land that we stay in.
Sajjid Hussein is the editor of a local Muslim newspaper who believes their institutions need to adapt with the times.
Sajjid Hussein
The problem that you have when you have these committees that are sitting there for so many years, they tend to be a power amongst themselves, there is a question of accountability, who are they responsible to.
The older generation has successfully made Glasgow Central mosque into a respected Scottish institution.But it’s when things go wrong that the culture of the mosque is called into question.
Zaki Badawi
The first generation that emigrated here brought with it its own culture, and the culture there is very tribal and caste ridden and therefore they feel sometimes that you mustn’t defame the tribe, let the tribe sort its own problems quietly and don’t let everybody know about us.
But in 1998 everybody did get to know about a dramatic event on mosque premises, despite the mosque’s best efforts to keep it under wraps.
In November that year a worshipper was praying at the mosque when he was disturbed by a child’s cry.
Dr Muhammad Farooq
I heard a child sort of shouting at someone and the kid was saying ‘sorry uncle I can’t take it’. Walked into the room and this guy was lying facing down on the floor, asked him twice what’s wrong? And he didn’t reply. Then I touched his feet and asked him, what’s wrong with you? And then he stood up saying ‘nothing, there’s nothing wrong with me’ and while he was standing up he pulled up the zip of his trouser and at that stage I thought no there’s something else as well. I saw over his shoulder there was a young boy who was standing up from the floor pulling up his trousers.
Sure he’d just witnessed a serious sexual assault Dr Farooq grabbed 33-year-old Tahir Din and took him straight to a mosque official.
Dr Muhammad Farooq
One of the mosque officials he recognised him immediately, telling me that he knows this guy, knows his name, and he knows he has done this thing in the mosque before as well, so don’t worry about it we will handle this case.
After insisting Taher Din should be reported immediately, Dr Farooq left the mosque authorities to call the police.Later the same day, concerned the police had not yet approached him, Dr Farooq returned to the mosque only to discover nothing had been done.
Dr Muhammad Farooq
I realised that they’re not willing to take this case to the police.They want to resolve the situation somehow here in their office.
Dr Farooq immediately called the police himself to report the sexual assault on the ten-year-old boy. Once the police investigation got underway other details began to emerge of previous cases involving Taher Din on mosque premises.
Months before Dr Farooq caught him, a group of mothers had confronted mosque officials alleging Taher Din had assaulted a number of their children. Shamshad Akhtar was one of those appalled at what had happened.
Driving sequence
Shamshad Akhtar
They said this is a bad name for community, they didn’t want to take it further, they didn’t want to involve police, they didn’t want other community know about it. Taher Din is trying to show he is a very good Muslim. Cap on the head taking the god’s name but doing all the filthy things. We went in there first on the main door, we went there and where the people are sitting in now, ten people and they laugh and they didn’t listen, saying calm down.
Kurt: But after that, after you went, after you complained, Taher Din interfered with another child?
Shamshad: He did.
SUBTITLES
The mosque denies any attempt to cover up Tahir Din’s activities.
Dr Kauser
This is a house of God. If anyone had known this, they wouldn’t have tolerated it no matter who so-ever it was. They didn’t know it and we didn’t know his background at all.It was news to all of us. We can categorically deny that and we have no reason why to hide it.
General Secretary, Glasgow Central Mosque
Dr Farooq still maintains some of those associated with the mosque were keen that the Tahir Din incident didn’t tarnish the mosque’s good reputation.
Dr Muhammed Farooq
There was enormous pressure on myself, sort of emotional blackmailing and there was pressure on my family back in Pakistan. They approached my dad many times and asked them to ask me not to go ahead with this case and not to testify against Taher Din.
Mohammed Farooq did eventually testify.Tahir Din was charged with sexual offences against a nine and a ten year old and convicted in July 1999. He was sentenced to twelve months in prison and was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for ten years.
Dr Muhammad Farooq
It’s very clear that there are two laws being exercised. The law of the land is different from than the law of the mosqueThere is no doubt about it, mosque officials try their best to do the things in their own ways instead of taking it to the legal authorities.
The insidious culture of secrecy that outraged Dr Farooq in Glasgow can be even more pernicious. It can grip a whole community. That’s exactly what happened here in Preston, Lancashire with terrible consequences for one family who had the courage to confront both the Imam and the management committee.
Sync father
My father hasn’t spoken to me for ages. He kept asking why did we take the Imam to court. He felt that our community’s reputation could have been saved without the court case. But now he feels that all Muslims have been given a bad name and the reputation of mosques has been damaged.
On an autumn evening five years ago, the family’s seven year old girl returned home from her daily lesson learning the Koran at the local mosque.
Sync mother
When my daughter came home from the mosque she was going upstairs, washing her hands and crying. She wouldn’t eat and she was just constantly washing her hands. She said ‘mummy I need to tell you something’ and I said ‘just be quiet I’m watching TV’ and then she said it to me she was upset and crying and me mind just went.
During that day’s busy lesson the religious teacher, Imam Ahmed Halalat, had forced her to masturbate him.
BLUR NUMBER PLATE
DC Dot Walker
The children were in the classroom; they were having lessons taught by Halalat. The victim was in the classroom and they were actually reading from the Koran in the classroom - she was sat at one of the low benches reading from the Koran and that’s when Halalat abused her. Investigating Officer
Sync mother
I never believed priests could be like this or be bad people. I spoke to my husband and said ‘look, this is what my daughters are saying’ and he said ‘no it’s not you know, it couldn’t be right. ‘We just sat on the bed all night, we just didn’t know what to do. We couldn’t sleep - just talking it through, asking ‘what’s happening to us? Why did this happen to us?
Later that day certain their daughter couldn’t be making her story up, they reported Ahmed Halalat to the police.
Sync Dot Walker
A lot of the community were in disbelief. They didn’t think that this man who had such standing, had such an image and commanded such power in the community could commit offences of this nature…he had a great respect and following in the community.
Lancashire police started an investigation.After interviewing other parents and children Ahmed Halalat was charged with three counts of indecent assault, including an assault on another child. He denied the allegations.
But we’ve discovered it wasn’t the first time Halalat had been in trouble with his congregation.In 1992 he was accused of abusing a child at the mosque where he worked in London.When the family decided not to press charges, Halalat moved on to Preston. Subsequent employers at the Kent Street Mosque were probably not aware of his past. Map sequence
As the Preston investigation continued the parents began to get visits from people associated with the mosque. They said the case would bring shame on the mosque and the local community.
RECONSTRUCTION
Sync mother
They actually came to our house and they would take off their hats, put it at my feet and say ‘don’t take it further, he’ll get a bad name, the mosque will get a bad name - but I said ‘no way, after what he did, they expect us to keep quiet.
The regular visitors began to offer money, holidays to Pakistan and other inducements to leave Preston. When they refused the bribes turned to threats.
RECONSTRUCTION
Sync Dot Walker
It was very difficult. The family were isolated. They were targeted by members of the community in as much as bribes were offered, they were asked to drop the case, they were asked to drop the complaints and say the girls were lying.
Sync mother
When we used to walk out they used to look at us, as if we’re the ones that did wrong, as if we’re the dirty or something but we didn’t do anything wrong. People spat at us when we got out - people spat at my daughter when she’s gone to the shops
Sync Father
The police gave me a machine in case anything happened. They told me if I , pressed the button they would come out immediately.That day I was walking along the road and a car came right up close to me on the pavement. The driver had a gun that was wrapped in a newspaper, he took it out and said if you go to court I’ll shoot you.
RECONSTRUCTION
At the Crown Court Halalat was supported by the committee that appointed him at the Kent Street Mosque. Whilst the family found themselves more and more isolated.
THIS IS KENT STREET MOSQUE
Sync Dot Walker
There were members of the community that came to the trial at court to support Halalat and throughout the whole of the investigation it was felt that there was a great deal of support for him and very little respect and support for the victims and their family.
Ahmed Halalat pleaded not guilty.Two of the charges could not be proven due to lack of forensic evidence but on the third offence traces of Halalat’s semen had been found on the carpet in the Madrassa classroom. This was enough to convict him on one of three counts of indecent assault.He received a six months sentence and was placed on the sex offenders’ register. Four years on the family are still finding life in their hometown difficult.
Sync mother
Since ’97 we’re still getting harassment, we’re getting threats, phone calls, people have come round to our house and threatened us on the streets.
Shunned by their immediate family, shut out from their community, they’re no longer sure the price they paid for justice was worth it.
Kurt: Would you put your children through it again?Sync motherNever, never again.
Ahmed Halalat was released from prison after three months, but the police became alarmed when they found out he’d returned to the Kent Street mosque
Sync Dot Walker
The mosque has assured us that he’s not teaching in any capacity at that mosque and doesn’t have any access to children. They have told us as well that when he visits that mosque he does so outside of when children are there.
Halalat has also started attending other mosques in Lancashire. In nearby Bolton our researcher attended evening prayers at the Alfalah mosque and was told by the senior imam that Halalat often led prayers there. We also found Halalat attending the Ashrafiah mosque a few hundred metres down the road.The Alfalah mosque committee have told us they’re aware of Halalat’s conviction.The Alfalah mosque committee have told us they’re aware of Halalat’s conviction but that he’s not employed to teach children.They said that he doesn’t lead prayers regularly but is occasionally entitled to do so.
Kurt:One of the real worries with someone like Mr Halalat is that he can move from mosque to mosque to mosque and effectively go undetected.
Dot Walker
That presents a very big problem. He does have a duty to register his address with us, but obviously when he’s moved to a different area, once he’s notified the police in that area, he can network back into local mosques, he can network back into people’s homes and he can ingratiate his way back into that community.
The case of Ahmed Halalat not only highlights the vulnerability of young children, but an absence of accountability in some of Britain’s mosques. It’s the most graphic example of how these places of worship are in need of reform.
Abu Bashir
Every child has the right to be protected, every child has the right to learn in a secure environment and the mosque community has to provide their security, because if they don't they will face legal consequences.
President Bradford Bangladeshi Council
For a growing numbers of British Muslims, there have been too many Abu Hamzas, too many Ahmed Halalats, too many congregations misled by their Imams.
Dr Zaki Badawi
We need the protection of the law and anyone saying to you this is interference in our own affairs is really talking nonsense. That should always apply to all - to all the people living in Britain, including the Muslims, and to all institutions, including the mosques.
Like all organised religions in Britain Islam is having to face up to the needs of its worshippers. They’re beginning to demand mosques that are safe, democratic and above all open to scrutiny.
END
CREDITS:
NARRATOR – ZAIB MALIK
MUSIC – JOHN ROSHEUVAL
PRODUCTION MANAGER – ROBIN BARTY-KING
FIM EDITORS – ALAN TROTT
- MEL QUIGLEY
-
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER – DAVID HENSHAW
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER – ARLEN HARRIS
PRODUCER – KURT BARLING
DIRECTOR – MAGNUS TEMPLE
PRE-TITLE
TITLE:TROUBLE AT THE MOSQUE
Finsbury Park Mosque in North London has become notorious for its links to terrorism. The mosque has been connected to terrorist attacks in the Yemen, the Brixton shoe bomber and British Taliban fighters currently held in Cuba.At the centre of the controversy is Abu Hamza, vocal supporter of Osama Bin Laden.
Abu Hamza SOVT
When an aeroplane goes down, now is it a Lockerbie or an SOS net?
DATE ASTON
But it’s the way he was able to take over the mosque and impose his own hard line views which has given most cause for concern amongst other Muslims.
Abu Hamza SOVT
The idea is to slow down and make the sky very high risk for anybody who flies.
Mufti Barkatulla
This sort of approach is enormously damaging to the reputation of Islam and Muslim community in UK. They’re using Islam as a tool. They have hijacked the holy verses for their own political agenda.
Abu Hamza’s political activities also reveal a flawed system, where one man can forcibly take control of a mosque at the expense of the regular worshippers.
Mufti Barkatulla is a trustee of the Finsbury Park mosque. Officially he’s supposed to oversee what goes on there but is actually too scared to go inside.
Mufti BarkatullaI’m completely powerless; I fear that I will be intimidated. They will abuse me verbally and sometimes physically if they can.
When Finsbury Park mosque was opened in 1985 it was the pride of the community,supported by Prince Charles and nearly a million pounds from the Saudi Royal family.But within five years the mosque was in trouble. Civil war had broken out on the committee, so strange as it now seems, the charismatic Abu Hamza was invited to sort things out.
Sync BarkatullaHe came as a go between but he gradually elevated himself to the Lord and King of the mosque.
Hamza came to the mosque as an employee of the trustees but soon imposed his own authority.
Mufti Barkutalla
The trustees could no longer communicate with each other and the board collapsed. Abu Hamza took every control in the mosque.
It wasn’t long before Hamza was using his influence to promote a Holy War on the West.
Watching video
SOVT Jihad video
Allah guarantees that he will admit the Mujad in his cause into paradise if he is killed.
Alarmed, the trustees…as guarantors of the mosque’s integrity…tried to challenge the way Hamza was running things, with a court injunction.It only made things worse.
Sync Barkatulla
At that point Abu Hamza became extremely violent. As a result of the court injunction we went to the mosque to try and install the regular Imam on a Friday, but we were bundled out by force.
The trustees can’t afford to go back to court - so they’re stuck with the status quo.Its unclear who’s legally in charge here - but in reality Abu Hamza controls the mosque.
Sync Barkatulla
Since that time he has been behaving differently, sometimes threatening the trustees and sometimes holding the trust to hostage - sometimes acting conciliatory.
With no outside religious body able to impose order the mosque has fallen into disrepair. A far cry from its lavish beginnings.
Sync Barkatulla
The building is running down as a derelict, level of services are going down. It’s a smelly and filthy old mosque really.
Sheikh Zaki Badawi
The pulpit has such magic, and the Imam from the pulpit can influence the community (in many respects), which need to be supervised, needs to be controlled.
Dr Badawi heads Britain’s leading Muslim legal authority. He says control isn’t as straightforward as in the Church.
We don’t have a clergy we don’t have a structure like a church, all mosques are equal, all Imams are independent.
So without a governing body running British mosques, disputes can simply go and on, as Muslims in Luton have found to their cost.
ARCHIVE SOVT
Today’s prayer meeting followed the scenes last night where supporters of the Imam tried to break into the building and police were called to the troubled mosque.
LUTON ARCHIVEDATE ASTONSOURCE ASTON
In 1992 the Muslim community of Luton hit the media spotlight when there was a stand off between the Imam and the mosque committee.
Sync Akbar Khan
We were laughed at and rightly so. We had built this great big place, and another place up the road and yet some of us were praying inside, some of us were praying outside making a spectacle of ourselves.
Luton’s first Muslim migrants arrived in the fifties and sixties, when men like Akbar Khan came from the Kashmiri region of Pakistan.
Akbar Khan
Luton was an attractive place to come to work because of everybody knew someone down here and it was very close to the airport, and Vauxhall’s gave a good wage packet at the end of the week.
After a stint at Vauxhall’s and the Post Office, Khan turned to taxi driving. Like many others his plan wasn’t always to stay.
Akbar Khan
We will work for a while, earn some money and buy a house and get on with life back in other Kashmir.
Those early migrants kept in touch with the old country and each other through their religion.They clubbed together and bought a terraced house, and then another and finally a third.
When families joined the men in the mid seventies, the community decided it was time for a more permanent solution. They started to raise money to build a purpose built mosque and community centre.
Akbar KhanIt’s a working class community. Where people would save £50 a week, and out of that £50, £20 - £25 would save mosque project and the project up the road.
The mosque appointed an Imam to guide the community and help coordinate support for the mosque project. As the figurehead of a million pound project Imam Abdul Chisty developed a loyal following and huge personal authority.
Akbar Khan
People virtually gave money to him, trusting that he is the man whatever is coming out of his mouth is truth.
Building began in 1982 and to keep some continuity the mosque committee decided to postpone elections and stay on beyond their allotted two years. But within another year things started to turn sour.
Akbar Khan
When people would like to ask to questions about the running of the mosque, about the funds and about when elections would be held they would not get any answer out of that management committee or for that matter the Imam who was the lynchpin of the whole thing.
Akbar Khan wasn’t alone in his concern about the power wielded by the Imam
Mohammed Bashir
Mr Chisty was himself manager, he was himself trustees and everything he was controlling himself.
The trust say Mr Chisty has had no management role at any time and that the decision to become a trust was taken by a properly constituted AGM. Some members see it otherwise.
Akbar Khan
And then it dawned upon us that there are no elections, there is this trust for life, and these people are owners for life, managers for life.
The Mosque was finally completed in 1985, but with Chisty’s strong religious influence challenging the Imam or the committee was becoming a risky business.
Mohammed Bashir
I remember one Friday prayer in the month of Ramadam, more than a thousand people in the mosque when I raised this question, I said from last 10 years, there is no accountability there is no elections and I feel strongly there is something wrong going on.His supporters try to fight me and there was a number of occasions it happens.
Akbar Khan
People would stand up from various corners and shout us down and threaten us with violence.
Mohammed Bashir
One occasion on a Friday we had a fight in the mosque, downstairs hall.
Akbar Khan
It was a harrowing experience; we were treated like criminals and vagabonds. How dare we challenge them righteous people. How dare we stand up in the mosque on a Friday?
Akbar and Mohammed’s stand began slowly to gain the support of other members.
By May 1992, 700 of them decided they’d had enough. They elected a new committee to run the mosque, which then tried to find a way of working with the Imam.
Mohammed Bashir
We did request him, we’ve got total support of muslim community and we won the election and we wanted to run the mosque within proper constitutions.
Akbar Khan
His reply was no, he wasn’t willing to recognise these elections and he’s not willing to work with us.
Mohammed Bashir
So next day we simply physically removed him from the mosque.
But Imam Chisty wasn’t about to go quietly.
SOVT Archive
The Imam ousted from the Central Mosque held lunchtime prayers in the car park while his opponents held a service inside.
Chisty
I think that now we have tried our best, lets now decide in court what’s going to happen. ASTON May 1992Imam Abdul
Chisty
Akbar
The group of fifteen who have been holding power for all these years are accountable to none.
Akbar Khan
Imam Chisty refused to back down and took his battle to the High Court in London. With no higher religious authority to turn to, the two sides fought it out for another five years at a cost to the community of a hundred thousand pounds.
Akbar Khan
As a result of that terrible exercise, and a lot expense and a lot of grief, we have this constitution that should protect us from one person or part of the community governing things to the exclusion of others
In 1997 the High Court ruled that Luton mosque should hold regular elections, and organise a set of rules to limit the power of the Imam and committee over the membership.
Zaki Badawi
The whole idea of the mosque is a balance between the religious authority, that is the Imam and what you might call the administrative authority that is the council.
One of the first jobs of the new council or committee was to ensure that donations were properly accounted for. And although the court ruled that those charge of the mosque before 1992 should hand over accounts none have yet appeared so no-one knows how much was raised or spent.
Akbar Khan
We don’t have any idea and the community at large doesn’t have any idea what happened to that money and how it was spent.
Mr Chisty still runs the community centre built whilst he was in charge of the mosque.A spokesman for Mr Chisty said the facility was open to anyone who applied to the management committee but some local muslims feel excluded.
Sync Akbar Khan
He is chief trustee, and he enjoys so much power. The community is by and large excluded from using that place.
Sync Mohammed Bashir
We’ve been trusting him, he’s an Imam. He’s leading prayers, he’s performing other Islamic duties but he betrayed us very badly.
Photo of Mr Chisty
British Muslims can find themselves powerless if their Imam decides to behave badly and simply ignore his congregation. But abuse of office can be even more difficult to control in the small local mosques.
PART TWO
Islam has more regular worshippers than any other religion in Britain. Every week a new mosque is opened. One of the five pillars of the faith is to give willingly to charity and this often means the mosque.Congregations put a huge amount of trust in the integrity of the Imam and the mosque committee.
Like many new migrants the Bangladeshi community in Bow East London had long wanted their own place of worship.Somewhere local so worshippers like Arzu Miah wouldn’t have to make the four mile round trip to the main East London mosque in Whitechapel.
Arzu Miah
There was no place to pray no place where our kids could learn in their mother tongue and no place to take their Islamic lessons.
Father of four Hussein Lylus also wanted a place to meet the growing community’s cultural needs.
Hussein Lylus
There was no mosque, no place for mostly Asian people and Bangladeshi people, there is no cultural centre, there is nothing for our people.
Three years ago the community believed they’d found a solution through a local Imam. A respected barrister, and former judge in Bangladesh, Kutubuddin Shikder, proposed a new place of worship.
Hussein Lylus
We know from our elders he is a good man, he is a scholar, he is literate man, and that's why we give him a hand, we raise our hand to help him for a place for our religion.
The community were told that a former local pub could be leased and turned into a mosque.Their unconditional trust in the Imam meant there was no reason to question his motives.
Hussein Lylus
We were happy, very much happy, and we gave everything, we spare our time, we spare our money, even our health as well.
Arzu Miah had a severe kidney condition and survived on benefits. But he believed it was important to make sacrifices for the mosque.
Arzu Miah
Even though some of us were on income support we saved money and gave it to the mosque.
What people couldn’t give in money they gave in time and practical help.
Hussein Lylus
He is a kidney patient (referring to Uncle) but he spent more than a year down in the basement to stop the water coming through the walls.
After months of hard work and Community donations totalling at least seventy five thousand pounds the mosque was opened in December 1998. Imam Shikder’s fund raising sermons went into overdrive.
Shikder (recording)
Praise be to Allah! As everyone is saying god is great should I give £100 as well?
JULY 1999
Arzu Miah was himself held up as the model donor and promised eternal happiness.
Everyone can donate on their mothers and fathers souls.This man doesn't have a kidney and still he gave a thousand pounds - Allah be praised - May Allah except his donation and increase the length of his life.
Shikder recording
In early 2000 the Imam suggested that the only way to secure the community’s investment would be to buy the freehold from the owner at an asking price of four hundred and thirty thousand pounds.
Hussein Lylus
The price came through our scholar, Mr Kutubuddin Shikder, we believe him, still we believe him.
Imam Shikder told his congregation they had to move quickly - so the fund raising started up again - this time with a new gimmick: three hundred pounds bought you a special prayer plot.
Hussein Lylus
There is a list of 136 people who gave, three hundred pound each and more than that, minimum 300 pounds and all the money is initialled by Mr Shikdar.When we started going to people, the donors, they start questioning us. Its not a matter of joke, its a lot of money. The £430,000… is it worth it.
Imam Shikder told us that he was approached to purchase the premises and took professional advice which resulted in the asking price.However some members of the community sought an independent survey which said it was worth no more than a hundred and sixty thousand pounds.Concerned about the discrepancy he confronted the Imam.
Hussein Lylus
When we ask him to meet the real owner of the property he made excuses and denied in a different way.
The group checked the land registry to approach the owner directly. There was a big surprise in store.
Hussein Lylus
We discovered that 2nd April 1998 that this property, 246 Bow Road, this property's legal proprietor, owner is Mr Kutubuddin Shikdar, and he was pulling cover on our eyes and our faith and our beliefs.
It turned out that in 1998, Mr Shikder had bought the old pub for ninety five thousand pounds, a quarter of what he was now trying to sell it back to his congregation for.Feeling they had nowhere else to turn worshippers clubbed together to pay for the advice of a solicitor.
Stephen Walker, Solicitor
The first question I asked when they came to me was ‘well where’s constitution, where’s the trust deed, where’s the copies of the authorities and minutes of meetings and so on which gives people authority to do things and they didn’t have them and they said that there had been discussions about producing a constitution and Mr Shikder was dealing with it.
Hussein Lylus
We are in the situation at the moment we are hopeless, we have only for crying and shouting help, help, nobody is raising a hand to help us because people are scared he is a barrister.
In Mr Shikder’s response to the solicitor his tone appeared to show a barely veiled contempt for his congregation.
Stephen WalkerThe only reply I got was an acknowledgement, which was a short letter that said I’m going to see solicitors, and by the way these people are not very rich so please make sure these people have got the money to pay the costs they’ll have to pay when I sue them for defamation.
Mr Shikder remains an Imam at the Bow mosque and still owns the building. He told us that the donations of those that complained were returned to them. Some were but Arzu Miah always maintained that his donations were not. .
Arzu Miah
He has lied to us and deceived us and those who lie and deceive you cannot pray behind them. He leads the prayers on Friday and we can't pray behind him.
Although Shikder maintains he’s done no wrong and the complainants were trouble makers. Arzu Miah was once again forced to make the four mile round trip to the Whitechapel mosque until his death in November last year. Again the local community found it had nowhere to turn when its religious leader had misled them.
In Britain, scandals have forced other major religions to monitor their priests more closely. Some believe British Islam is now facing a similar challenge
Zaki Badawi
You must remember most of our community come from countries is taken by the rich or the powerful.
Some of our Imams do not fulfil their role effectively. This is due to a lack of knowledge of English, lack of understanding of the new society because they are imported from elsewhere.
SOVT Zaki teaching class
At the Muslim College in London Sheikh Zaki Badawi is attempting make imams practicing in Britain more culturally sensitive to our society.
Zaki Badawi
The idea of the college itself is to try and bring Imams who are brought up here or are trained here, to have a broader view of Islam. We hope that in the next few years you will have young people, brought up here, who know the culture here and you have the mosques transformed.
But for now demand is such that the mosques take who they can.The city of Bradford has over fifty mosques and there’s a constant shortage of qualified Imam’s. They’re required to lead prayer but also to provide Koranic education to Muslim children.
Sync Abu Bashir
Many of the Imam’s working in Britain are from abroad. It’s very, very difficult to recruit Imam locally. So whenever you come across someone who is in the position to offer their service, you tend to grab them with your both arms really. There isn’t any stringent test to recruit the best person for the job and that’s a major problem really.
The Home Office have made it easy for Imam’s and other ministers of religion to live in this country. They’re exempt from the usual visa requirements and only need supply a Imam’s certificate of training as a mullah and an offer of employment at a British mosque.This is exactly how Imam Mohammed Amjad came to Britain from Pakistan in 1996 to take up duties as a Koranic teacher.
In 1999 police received a complaint from a local family about Amjad’s behaviour while he was teaching their ten yearold daughter at this mosque in Bradford.
Police recorded the young girl’s statement on video and it was during this session that a picture began to emerge of what had taken place during the koranic lessons.
Sync Bea Hopwood
The children had gone as normal to the mosque in a group and had been having teaching for that particular day. And then he taps on the little girl’s shoulder and said that she had to go up and see him in his office, that he was using as an office and bedroom)
It was in this room that Amjad sexually assaulted the young girl.
Actual testimony“I don’t think he’s good cause he should be like teaching us, than taking us to the room and that. And if he’s teaching us about these things, why can’t other people teach us like..at least they won’t touch your body and that. And he touches your body so I don’t like it”.
Sync Bea Hopwood
When the little girl had gone up there, and he’d interfered with her, he basically intimated that next time when she came up to the bedroom he would show her other things and that scared her. That scared her sufficiently to go to her mum and dad that night and confide in them. .
As the investigation progressed another parent from the mosque came forward. Amjad had also sexually assaulted their son.
Kurt Q:What reaction did you get from the mosque committee itself?Bea HopwoodVery little really, because they wanted to keep it all hush, hush, and obviously wanted to protect their own reputation as well.
Ishtiak Ahmed
I think it’s a community, a minority community who is trying to protect its own integrity and credibility and safeguard kind of its image, and therefore there is a tendency for it to say we will deal with things in house, within our homes, and these are issues which we need to be concerned about and the rest of society needs to really stay out of it.
The independence of each individual mosque and imam means there are no formal guidelines, no rules and regulations to protect children at risk. No one to appeal to if a parent suspects something is wrong.As the court date approached a petition supporting Imam Amjad was circulated on mosque headed paper.We the undersigned indicate our support for Hafiz Mohammed Naeem Amjad and wish him to return to his employment with the mosque as soon as he is able after conclusion of his court case. He is a respected and holy person and we have every confidence in his abilities as a priest.
PETITION
The parents of Amjad’s victims were under enormous pressure not to go through with the court case.
Bea Hopwood
Once the date was arranged, because of the pressure that had been put on the family, the father came forward and didn’t want her to go to court….They’re obviously concerned, especially where a girl’s involved, of her future life, and they worry that it may affects their prospects of marriage in years to come.
But in the end, the families did have the courage to go to court. Amjad was convicted of one count of indecent assault and an act of gross indecency. While he was awaiting sentencing the mosque circulated letters and a second petition in support of their disgraced imam.We the undersigned indicate our continued support for Mr Hafiz Mohammed Amjad and while we regret the circumstances, which led to his recent conviction for offences concerning children at the mosque, we nevertheless confirm that if he is allowed his liberty we will have no objection to him being employed by the mosque if the committee see fit.
ROSTRUM LETTER
Despite their plea Amjad was sentenced to three years in prison in February 2000 and on his release immediately deported.
Abu Bashir
I think clearly, in my opinion, the Muslim community needs to wake up. Although you find people condemning such action, you won't find many committee or mosque organisations has taken any practical step to ensure the children under their care are adequately protected.
The Bradford Council of Mosques is attempting to get its members to adopt a set of government guidelines to protect children in their care.
But these guildelines are not compulsory and so aren’t about to threaten a culture of secrecy that surrounds even some of Britain’s largest mosques.Secrecy that has devastating results for ordinary Muslim families.
PART THREE
Glasgow has over forty thousand Muslims, most of whom were born in Scotland. But as elsewhere in Britain the central mosque remains in the hands of the first generation of immigrants.
Sajjid Hussein
What we actually have is the old guard, the old style, the old village cultural system still exist in present day Scotland…in Glasgow.we have to bring in a system which understands the present indigenous system that understands the land that we stay in.
Sajjid Hussein is the editor of a local Muslim newspaper who believes their institutions need to adapt with the times.
Sajjid Hussein
The problem that you have when you have these committees that are sitting there for so many years, they tend to be a power amongst themselves, there is a question of accountability, who are they responsible to.
The older generation has successfully made Glasgow Central mosque into a respected Scottish institution.But it’s when things go wrong that the culture of the mosque is called into question.
Zaki Badawi
The first generation that emigrated here brought with it its own culture, and the culture there is very tribal and caste ridden and therefore they feel sometimes that you mustn’t defame the tribe, let the tribe sort its own problems quietly and don’t let everybody know about us.
But in 1998 everybody did get to know about a dramatic event on mosque premises, despite the mosque’s best efforts to keep it under wraps.
In November that year a worshipper was praying at the mosque when he was disturbed by a child’s cry.
Dr Muhammad Farooq
I heard a child sort of shouting at someone and the kid was saying ‘sorry uncle I can’t take it’. Walked into the room and this guy was lying facing down on the floor, asked him twice what’s wrong? And he didn’t reply. Then I touched his feet and asked him, what’s wrong with you? And then he stood up saying ‘nothing, there’s nothing wrong with me’ and while he was standing up he pulled up the zip of his trouser and at that stage I thought no there’s something else as well. I saw over his shoulder there was a young boy who was standing up from the floor pulling up his trousers.
Sure he’d just witnessed a serious sexual assault Dr Farooq grabbed 33-year-old Tahir Din and took him straight to a mosque official.
Dr Muhammad Farooq
One of the mosque officials he recognised him immediately, telling me that he knows this guy, knows his name, and he knows he has done this thing in the mosque before as well, so don’t worry about it we will handle this case.
After insisting Taher Din should be reported immediately, Dr Farooq left the mosque authorities to call the police.Later the same day, concerned the police had not yet approached him, Dr Farooq returned to the mosque only to discover nothing had been done.
Dr Muhammad Farooq
I realised that they’re not willing to take this case to the police.They want to resolve the situation somehow here in their office.
Dr Farooq immediately called the police himself to report the sexual assault on the ten-year-old boy. Once the police investigation got underway other details began to emerge of previous cases involving Taher Din on mosque premises.
Months before Dr Farooq caught him, a group of mothers had confronted mosque officials alleging Taher Din had assaulted a number of their children. Shamshad Akhtar was one of those appalled at what had happened.
Driving sequence
Shamshad Akhtar
They said this is a bad name for community, they didn’t want to take it further, they didn’t want to involve police, they didn’t want other community know about it. Taher Din is trying to show he is a very good Muslim. Cap on the head taking the god’s name but doing all the filthy things. We went in there first on the main door, we went there and where the people are sitting in now, ten people and they laugh and they didn’t listen, saying calm down.
Kurt: But after that, after you went, after you complained, Taher Din interfered with another child?
Shamshad: He did.
SUBTITLES
The mosque denies any attempt to cover up Tahir Din’s activities.
Dr Kauser
This is a house of God. If anyone had known this, they wouldn’t have tolerated it no matter who so-ever it was. They didn’t know it and we didn’t know his background at all.It was news to all of us. We can categorically deny that and we have no reason why to hide it.
General Secretary, Glasgow Central Mosque
Dr Farooq still maintains some of those associated with the mosque were keen that the Tahir Din incident didn’t tarnish the mosque’s good reputation.
Dr Muhammed Farooq
There was enormous pressure on myself, sort of emotional blackmailing and there was pressure on my family back in Pakistan. They approached my dad many times and asked them to ask me not to go ahead with this case and not to testify against Taher Din.
Mohammed Farooq did eventually testify.Tahir Din was charged with sexual offences against a nine and a ten year old and convicted in July 1999. He was sentenced to twelve months in prison and was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for ten years.
Dr Muhammad Farooq
It’s very clear that there are two laws being exercised. The law of the land is different from than the law of the mosqueThere is no doubt about it, mosque officials try their best to do the things in their own ways instead of taking it to the legal authorities.
The insidious culture of secrecy that outraged Dr Farooq in Glasgow can be even more pernicious. It can grip a whole community. That’s exactly what happened here in Preston, Lancashire with terrible consequences for one family who had the courage to confront both the Imam and the management committee.
Sync father
My father hasn’t spoken to me for ages. He kept asking why did we take the Imam to court. He felt that our community’s reputation could have been saved without the court case. But now he feels that all Muslims have been given a bad name and the reputation of mosques has been damaged.
On an autumn evening five years ago, the family’s seven year old girl returned home from her daily lesson learning the Koran at the local mosque.
Sync mother
When my daughter came home from the mosque she was going upstairs, washing her hands and crying. She wouldn’t eat and she was just constantly washing her hands. She said ‘mummy I need to tell you something’ and I said ‘just be quiet I’m watching TV’ and then she said it to me she was upset and crying and me mind just went.
During that day’s busy lesson the religious teacher, Imam Ahmed Halalat, had forced her to masturbate him.
BLUR NUMBER PLATE
DC Dot Walker
The children were in the classroom; they were having lessons taught by Halalat. The victim was in the classroom and they were actually reading from the Koran in the classroom - she was sat at one of the low benches reading from the Koran and that’s when Halalat abused her. Investigating Officer
Sync mother
I never believed priests could be like this or be bad people. I spoke to my husband and said ‘look, this is what my daughters are saying’ and he said ‘no it’s not you know, it couldn’t be right. ‘We just sat on the bed all night, we just didn’t know what to do. We couldn’t sleep - just talking it through, asking ‘what’s happening to us? Why did this happen to us?
Later that day certain their daughter couldn’t be making her story up, they reported Ahmed Halalat to the police.
Sync Dot Walker
A lot of the community were in disbelief. They didn’t think that this man who had such standing, had such an image and commanded such power in the community could commit offences of this nature…he had a great respect and following in the community.
Lancashire police started an investigation.After interviewing other parents and children Ahmed Halalat was charged with three counts of indecent assault, including an assault on another child. He denied the allegations.
But we’ve discovered it wasn’t the first time Halalat had been in trouble with his congregation.In 1992 he was accused of abusing a child at the mosque where he worked in London.When the family decided not to press charges, Halalat moved on to Preston. Subsequent employers at the Kent Street Mosque were probably not aware of his past. Map sequence
As the Preston investigation continued the parents began to get visits from people associated with the mosque. They said the case would bring shame on the mosque and the local community.
RECONSTRUCTION
Sync mother
They actually came to our house and they would take off their hats, put it at my feet and say ‘don’t take it further, he’ll get a bad name, the mosque will get a bad name - but I said ‘no way, after what he did, they expect us to keep quiet.
The regular visitors began to offer money, holidays to Pakistan and other inducements to leave Preston. When they refused the bribes turned to threats.
RECONSTRUCTION
Sync Dot Walker
It was very difficult. The family were isolated. They were targeted by members of the community in as much as bribes were offered, they were asked to drop the case, they were asked to drop the complaints and say the girls were lying.
Sync mother
When we used to walk out they used to look at us, as if we’re the ones that did wrong, as if we’re the dirty or something but we didn’t do anything wrong. People spat at us when we got out - people spat at my daughter when she’s gone to the shops
Sync Father
The police gave me a machine in case anything happened. They told me if I , pressed the button they would come out immediately.That day I was walking along the road and a car came right up close to me on the pavement. The driver had a gun that was wrapped in a newspaper, he took it out and said if you go to court I’ll shoot you.
RECONSTRUCTION
At the Crown Court Halalat was supported by the committee that appointed him at the Kent Street Mosque. Whilst the family found themselves more and more isolated.
THIS IS KENT STREET MOSQUE
Sync Dot Walker
There were members of the community that came to the trial at court to support Halalat and throughout the whole of the investigation it was felt that there was a great deal of support for him and very little respect and support for the victims and their family.
Ahmed Halalat pleaded not guilty.Two of the charges could not be proven due to lack of forensic evidence but on the third offence traces of Halalat’s semen had been found on the carpet in the Madrassa classroom. This was enough to convict him on one of three counts of indecent assault.He received a six months sentence and was placed on the sex offenders’ register. Four years on the family are still finding life in their hometown difficult.
Sync mother
Since ’97 we’re still getting harassment, we’re getting threats, phone calls, people have come round to our house and threatened us on the streets.
Shunned by their immediate family, shut out from their community, they’re no longer sure the price they paid for justice was worth it.
Kurt: Would you put your children through it again?Sync motherNever, never again.
Ahmed Halalat was released from prison after three months, but the police became alarmed when they found out he’d returned to the Kent Street mosque
Sync Dot Walker
The mosque has assured us that he’s not teaching in any capacity at that mosque and doesn’t have any access to children. They have told us as well that when he visits that mosque he does so outside of when children are there.
Halalat has also started attending other mosques in Lancashire. In nearby Bolton our researcher attended evening prayers at the Alfalah mosque and was told by the senior imam that Halalat often led prayers there. We also found Halalat attending the Ashrafiah mosque a few hundred metres down the road.The Alfalah mosque committee have told us they’re aware of Halalat’s conviction.The Alfalah mosque committee have told us they’re aware of Halalat’s conviction but that he’s not employed to teach children.They said that he doesn’t lead prayers regularly but is occasionally entitled to do so.
Kurt:One of the real worries with someone like Mr Halalat is that he can move from mosque to mosque to mosque and effectively go undetected.
Dot Walker
That presents a very big problem. He does have a duty to register his address with us, but obviously when he’s moved to a different area, once he’s notified the police in that area, he can network back into local mosques, he can network back into people’s homes and he can ingratiate his way back into that community.
The case of Ahmed Halalat not only highlights the vulnerability of young children, but an absence of accountability in some of Britain’s mosques. It’s the most graphic example of how these places of worship are in need of reform.
Abu Bashir
Every child has the right to be protected, every child has the right to learn in a secure environment and the mosque community has to provide their security, because if they don't they will face legal consequences.
President Bradford Bangladeshi Council
For a growing numbers of British Muslims, there have been too many Abu Hamzas, too many Ahmed Halalats, too many congregations misled by their Imams.
Dr Zaki Badawi
We need the protection of the law and anyone saying to you this is interference in our own affairs is really talking nonsense. That should always apply to all - to all the people living in Britain, including the Muslims, and to all institutions, including the mosques.
Like all organised religions in Britain Islam is having to face up to the needs of its worshippers. They’re beginning to demand mosques that are safe, democratic and above all open to scrutiny.
END
CREDITS:
NARRATOR – ZAIB MALIK
MUSIC – JOHN ROSHEUVAL
PRODUCTION MANAGER – ROBIN BARTY-KING
FIM EDITORS – ALAN TROTT
- MEL QUIGLEY
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EXECUTIVE PRODUCER – DAVID HENSHAW
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER – ARLEN HARRIS
PRODUCER – KURT BARLING
DIRECTOR – MAGNUS TEMPLE