Let's hope this is an ongoing trend: Calif. imam fired for alleged bin Laden support
LODI, Calif. - A mosque has fired a religious leader accused of speaking out against the United States and supporting Osama bin Laden in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks.It has only taken about 4 years for this kind of action to occur... or is this not the first time?Shabbir Ahmed, 39, is one of two imams detained on immigration charges as part of an FBI investigation into alleged terror activities in the Islamic community in Lodi, a wine-growing region about 30 miles south of Sacramento.
The mosque’s board of directors unanimously voted to fire Ahmed in a special session Sunday night, said Mohammed Shoaib, president of Lodi Muslim Mosque.
“We don’t want that kind of person who has spoken against the United States,” Shoaib said. [read: "The Feds are riding us hard and we need to offer them someone to cool the heat..." --ed.]
At a hearing on Friday, Ahmed denied making any speeches against the United States.
Justice Department attorney Paul Nishiie said Ahmed was linked to a terrorist group in Pakistan and had preached about attacking Americans a few months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.