Police probe imam sermon ‘praising’ politician’s killer
City mosque now at centre of investigation
WEST Midlands Police have dismissed complaints about a sermon at a city mosque, declaring the content was not found to be ‘criminal’.
Police were alerted that a visiting imam at Central Jamia Mosque Ghamkol Sharif in Small Heath appeared to praise Mumtaz Qadri, a gunman who murdered a Pakistani politician over a blasphemy laws dispute.
But an interpretation and review of the recording by police found no crimes were committed.
“The video was reviewed and we have found nothing criminal within it,” said a West Midlands police spokesperson.
The complaint was the latest of a wave of concerns raised about the mosque, triggered by local Muslims concerned about its management and ethos.
The Charity Commission is currently in the midst of a full statutory inquiry into the mosque in the face of complaints about its finances, governance, safeguarding and use of social media.
The mosque charity’s general manager Saddique Hussain previously claimed innuendo and rumour was unfairly undermining
the mosque leadership. We have reached out to him to comment on this week’s update, so far without success.
In the livestream of the prayer gathering on January 1, posted by a worshipper on Facebook, the imam, understood to be visiting from Pakistan, refers to Qadri as “Ghazi” – an Urdu word meaning powerful and interpreted when used to preface someone’s name as meaning ‘brave warrior’.
Salman Taseer was the Governor of Punjab and a respected businessman, who called for changes to Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws and urged a pardon for a Pakistani Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who had been condemned to death.
His stance put him at odds with some fellow Muslims and he was assassinated by Qadri, a member of his own security detail, who shot him 27 times with an AK-47 before surrendering to the police.
Bibi was later acquitted after a campaign backed by two Popes, some Muslim leaders and clerics across the world.
Qadri was executed in February 2016, but was seen by many in Pakistan as a kind of hero for - in their view - defending Islam. Qadri also had numerous supporters in Britain.
The incident was the latest to trigger complaints to police, Birmingham City Council and the Charity Commission about the mosque, which operates as a charity under the name Dar Ul Uloom Islamia Rizwia (Bralawai).
None of the complaints have resulted in criminal charges.
Birmingham City Council previously said of the flurry of complaints: “I am aware of ongoing local concerns in relation to the issues you have raised.
“The council is actively looking into this matter and working with relevant organisations and agencies.”