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December 9, 2005

US: Mosque Leader Deported to Egypt

Mohamed Gourab has been deported from the United States, states WHP/CBS News. Ghorab was an Egyptian cleric who was the imam at a small mosque in East Frankford in Bridesburg, Philadelphia, the Ansaar Allah Islamic Society.

The mosque, which catered to a maximum of 100 followers at the time of Ghorab's second arrest, was housed inside a cinderblock garage.

Ghorab had previously been arrested in 2003, for having an expired visa, but on Thursday May 27th, 2004, Federal investigators with Immigration and Naturalization Service and the IRS conducted raids on the mosque and two homes, including that of Ghorab.

Ghorab's wife, Meriem Moumen (pictured with Ghorab), complained at the time that she was asked about weapons, though weapons were not mentioned on the warrant sheet, stated The Officer.

"All I can remember (is they said), 'Your hands up, your hands up.' We were asking questions, nobody was talking to us. My husband was taken right away," she said.

According to the Muslim Civil Rights Center, Ghorab was denied bail on Thursday 15th July 2004, but it appears this had been granted subsequently, as according to WHP/CBS News he had been free on bond while appealing his deportation decision.

He had entered the country in March, 2000 on a business visitor visa, which expired that July.

Many of the articles from the time of his initial arrest have been re-archived and are inaccessible, as in AP and Guardian sources, but reprinted versions can be found on Refuse and Resist (Philadelhia Inquirer) and Free Republic (AP and Guardian).

47-year old Ghorab was returned to Egypt in the deportation.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at December 9, 2005 9:46 AM

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