Controversy

By Michael Field, *Divisive imam leaves NZ, denying he preached jihad* - Stuff.co.nz - Wellington, New Zealand; Wednesday, December 22, 2010

A senior imam of New Zealand's biggest mosque has left for his Pakistan homeland strongly denying he taught jihad or holy war in the four years he was in this country.

Imam or mufti Abdul Qadir Siddiquei said he was leaving New Zealand having cleared his name of allegations made against him.

"I am not a terrorist, I do not believe in terrorist things," he said just before leaving on a Bangkok-bound flight yesterday.

He said he was of the Islamic Sufi branch and its members were being killed in Pakistan by terrorists.

"We are anti-terrorist, we belong to Sufi concepts, Sufi school of thoughts. My teacher has been killed by terrorist people. We are Sufi people, wherever we go, people will know we are with the Sufi people."

He denied he was being forced out of New Zealand with his large family.

Last Thursday night, police intervened in tense scenes at Auckland's Jamia Musjid Al-Mustafa mosque as about 200 Muslims battled over Mufti Siddiquei. The mosque, with more than 1000 followers, has united various Sunni sects and Pakistani and Indo-Fijian Muslims who combined to pay for the building. Also known as the South Auckland Islamic Centre, it is the most influential mainstream mosque in New Zealand and Fiji.

Counties Manukau Police have failed to respond to repeated requests for an account of why they went to the mosque.

Controversy had built up around five YouTube videos of some of the teachings. Four of them have been removed, but a leading member, Abdul Abbas Karim, heard some of the teachings, calling them "halfway to jihad".

Businessman Israr Sheikh said the imam was forced to resign and that last week's meeting ended up in a fight which police attended. Imam Siddiquei said the police did attend the meeting and encouraged good relations between the various groups.

"They come and saved ourselves; sometimes people come and create problems." He said Mr Karim had now been ordered out of the mosque. "That person is with a different school of thought, not a Sufi."

He denied there had been a split in the mosque between South Asian Muslims and Indo-Fijians.

"The mosque has good and humble people all the time they are in sympathy with me.

Imam Siddiquei said he was leaving New Zealand because his mother in Pakistan was ill. He did not know if he would be back.

Sufism is regarded as a mystical system of Islam in which meditation, prayer and music are crucial.

Picture: Pakistan Bound: Abdul Qadir Siddiquei at Auckland International Airport on his way out of New Zealand. Photo: Grahame Cox/Dominion Post.