The Worcester Telegram reports on the apparent sudden departure of Imam Muhammad Hamid earlier this week
.
According to the paper, Hamid is not expected to return. This blog
entry also looks at Hamid's relative in Massachusetts and in Pakistan.
First, the scoop according to WT reporter Bronislaus Bush:
"WORCESTER— Hamid
Mahmood, the spiritual leader of the region's Muslim community, has
stepped down as imam of the Worcester Islamic Center and returned to
his homeland of Pakistan."
"Tahir Ali, a spokesman for the center,
said Imam Mahmood, who had been at the center since 1999, had been
talking about returning home for several months and apparently decided
not to seek an extension on his expiring visa. "
" 'I know there
was a problem with the visa and he decided not to do anything about it
because he wanted to go home anyway,' Mr. Ali said."
"The imam and his wife and five children left Sunday."
Well, almost but not quite. A few details got left out there. Hamid, et al attempted to leave on Sunday from Logan Airport, but the
initial attempt to fly to Pakistan through London wasn't allowed because Hamid didn't have a valid U.S. visa
.
So Hamid's good friends hustled and quickly transported the entire
family from Logan to New York, where they arranged a flight to
Pakistan, which left Tuesday morning. It's always nice to have friends
in high places who can come through in difficult times. It's not easy
to make international travel arrangements on short notice. Who were
the movers and shakers in this episode? Were they connected to the International Islamic Front
? Hamid was reportedly questioned by authorities upon arriving in Pakistan.
That's a rare photo of Imam Hamid, by the way (Paul
Capteyn, WT&G), he doesn't believe in being photographed. Hamid is
known by several names, including Muhammed Hamid, Hafiz Hamid ("hafiz"
refers to someone who has memorized the Koran), Hamid Mehmud, Hamid
Mahmud and Hamid Mehmood. His wife, who wears a black "shuttlecock"
burqa, is named Mrs. Asna (not Mrs. Hamid). It's not clear that Mrs.
Asna was on the same place as Hamid. Their daughters are Muneza,
Fatima and Zirwa, the sons are named Omer and Ali.
The Worcester Telegram notes that Hamid and his family
weren't deported, as was initially reported in the Daily Times earlier
in the week (that paper actually called it a "voluntary deportation").
Reporter Bush writes that local Muslims were asking questions about
this news:
"Some area Muslims expressed concerns this week after the Web edition
of the Daily Times, a newspaper based in Lajore, Pakistan, reported
that the imam and his family were deported by federal immigration
authorities because of 'immigration regulation infringements.' "
"The report, they said, appeared credible because of the legal difficulties facing Hafiz Muhammed Masood (shown above),
the imam at the Islamic Center of New England in Sharon. According to
Mr. Ali and others, Imam Masood is the brother of Imam Mahmood. Imam
Masood was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents
in late 2006 on visa fraud charges."
The Boston branch of the
Muslim American Society (MAS) has been a vocal and financial supporter of Masood.
Masood's deportation hearing is scheduled for October 2007.
Not
reported in the Worcester Telegram is that Muslim parents have also
expressed concern about what Imam Hamid was teaching their children in
school, as he is also the brother of a major Pakistani terorrist, Hafiz
Saeed (pictured left), who founded the banned terrorist groups Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jamat Dawah. Read more about Hafiz Saeed
here and LeT here. The Daily Times also reported that
Imam Hamid reportedly ran an LeT safe house in Moon Chowk, Lahore, Pakistan, before coming to the U.S.
Imam Hamid was an instructor at the Al Huda Academy in Worcester, MA
, (listed as Imam Hamid Mahmud). Some Muslim parents are concerned that Hamid could have been indoctrinating their children.
But wait, just like those famous Ginzu knives, there's more!
There's another relative of Hafiz Saeed who came
to the U.S. and became an imam. Abdul Hannan is Saeed's brother-in-law
(he's married to Masood's sister), and Hannan was imam at the Islamic
Society of Greater Lowell (ISGL). He was arrested last November 2006
for religious visa fraud, at the same time as brother-in-law Masood.
Hannan came to the U.S. through Muhammad Khalil, who is now serving time in prison for visa fraud.
Khalil operated a mosque in the basement of a Brooklyn store, and he
fraudulently sponsored some 200 people (including Hannan), charging
them thousands of dollars to come to the U.S. Mum's the word on Imam
Hannan, there's been nothing in the papers. The MAS did support Imam Hannan in the past,
although not nearly to the extent they support Masood. At that
December 2006 MAS fundraiser held at thte ISGL, Hannan said of the
prison employees (he was jailed for a few days after being picked up in
November 2006), they "don't know who they are dealing with." Was he referring to his infamous brother-in-law, by any chance? After innitially supporting Hannan, the MAS hasn't said anything about Hannan or attempted to raise funds for him.
That's quite a family that ended up here in
Massachusetts! Tomorrow, I'll pull together a timeline on who came to
the U.S. when, as well as look at some other connections.
What an outrageous slap in the face to America. What a disgraceful act. 
