Imam May be Forced Out of Home: Asked to Leave Mosque Grounds While He Awaits Visa Hearing

January 19, 2007

Author: Lane Lambert

Source: The Patriot Ledger

http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2007/01/19/news/news03.txt

With his visa status already in question, the spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of New England’s mosque in Sharon may soon be a man without a home.

The directors of the Islamic Center have given the Imam Muhammed Masood and his family notice to leave their residence on the grounds of the Sharon mosque.

Brookline attorney George Garfinkle, representing the board, said last night the Pakistani cleric has been asked to leave ‘‘sometime soon,’’ though not by a specific date.

‘‘The government is leaning on them, and they’re trying to do the right thing legally,’’ Garfinkle said.

It’s unclear where the imam and his family would live while he awaits a visa hearing.

Garfinkle also confirmed that some former Islamic Center board members have been called before a federal grand jury in Boston over the past month in connection with the investigation of Imam Masood’s alleged visa violations.