Inquiry is launched into killing of Imam
Country’s chief coroner to take charge
APUBLIC inquiry will be held to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of Imam murdered in Rochdale.
Jalal Uddin, 71, was bludgeoned to death in a children’s play area in the Wardleworth area of town on February 18, 2016.
Mr Uddin suffered multiple injuries to his head and face in the fatal attack.
The police investigation concluded Mr Uddin was murdered by Mohammed Kadir who had acted together with Mohammed Hussain Syeedy.
Kadir, then 24, the man a court heard is believed to have dealt the fatal blows to Mr Uddin, escaped to Istanbul
via Copenhagen in the days after his death. Syeedy, then 21, who ‘assisted and encouraged the attack’ and drove Kadir to the scene, was found guilty of murder and handed a life sentence, with a minimum term of 24 years, in September 2016.
His trial heard how the pair developed a hatred of Mr Uddin because he used a form of healing involving amulets - known as taweez - which are said to bring good fortune.
The court was told Kadir, formerly of Chamber Road, Oldham and Syeedy, of Ramsay Street, Rochdale, were both supporters of ISIS - which considered taweez to be ‘black magic.’
An inquest into Mr Uddin’s death was opened in the days following his and adjourned for criminal proceedings to take place.
In November 2020, it was decided the inquest should resume. Judge Patrick Field KC, who had been presiding over the inquest as a coroner, ruled the inquest must take place to consider if Kadir and Syeedy should have been considered as known risks for Islamic extremism by the authorities.
In a written judgment he said the evidence gave rise ‘to a credible suggestion that Kadir represented a present and continuing risk to the lives of members of society at large, that the authorities knew or ought to have known of that risk and that they failed to take measures to avoid it.’
“Indeed, to suggest otherwise given the knowledge that we have of the deadly actions of Islamist extremists on numerous other occasions, seems illogical,” he said.
In September 2021, Judge Field withdrew from the process to avoid any suggestion of bias after he said one of his relatives had taken up a job at Greater Manchester Police.
The role has now been taken on the country’s chief coroner, Judge Thomas Teague KC.
The Home Office has announced that, at his request, the Home Secretary has approved its conversion into a statutory inquiry so that ‘all relevant evidence’ can be heard,
No date or location for the hearing have yet been announced.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Home Office said: “Jalal Uddin, a retired Imam, was murdered in Rochdale on 18 February 2016.
“Following criminal proceedings, an inquest into his death was resumed in November 2020.
“In November 2022 the Coroner, His Honour Judge Teague KC, Chief Coroner of England and Wales, requested the inquest be converted to a statutory inquiry in order to permit all relevant evidence to be heard.
“Judge Teague will fulfill the role of chair.
“The conduct and delivery of the Inquiry are a matter for the chair.”
Mr Uddin, who had young grandchildren, was a former Imam at the Jalalia Jaame Mosque on Trafalgar Street, Rochdale.
Following his tragic death, his son released an emotive statement, saying his father was a ‘loved and integral part of the community.’
He described him as a ‘gentle soul’ and called his murder ‘incredibly inhumane.’ He said at a previous hearing the family wanted to see the inquest continue.