Andrew Maykuth Online
The Philadelphia Inquirer
November 5, 2005

Regional Muslim clergy support convicted imam
At the Philadelphia Masjid, a gathering celebrated the end of Ramadan.

As a sign of support for convicted racketeer Imam Shamsud-din Ali, the regional Muslim clergy council held its annual festival at his mosque yesterday, ignoring calls to disassociate from the embattled clergyman.

"I can assure you that the majority of the Muslims still support Imam Shamsud-din as a leader and as an upright man amongst us," Emir Asim Abdul Rashid said at festivities yesterday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

But a growing number of Muslims appear willing to publicly condemn Ali, 67, a politically powerful leader who was convicted in June of charges related to an influence-peddling scheme. In September, a federal judge sentenced the imam to more than seven years in prison. He remains free on bail pending appeal.

"The heat is on and I can only hope and pray more people are willing to go public," said Malik Mubashshir, a dissident board member at the school associated with the Philadelphia Masjid, Ali's mosque in West Philadelphia.

"The seriousness of what happened demands a response," he said.

In the past, the Majlis Ash'Shura - the regional clergy council - held its citywide Eid al Fitr festival at larger venues, such as the Convention Center or Temple University's Liacouras Center.

"You've seen kind of a Balkanization of the Eid fest this year, and I'm sure part of that has to do with discomfort about the response to Shamsud-din Ali," Mubashshir said.

Yesterday, the convicted imam sat in his office at the mosque, balancing a plate of food on his lap as he celebrated with the emir and several associates.

The Eid marks the end of a month of fasting, when Muslims dedicate themselves to prayer and self-improvement to mark the month when they believe God revealed the Koran to the Prophet Muhammad.

Rashid, the emir, who last year called Ali "imam for life," dismissed critics as a small minority. "It is sinful for a Muslim to turn his or her support away from another Muslim," he said.

He compared faith in the imam's innocence to that of followers of Jesus, whom Muslims regard as a prophet.

"He was accused, and they say he was crucified for the accusations against him," said the emir. "That did not make him guilty of those things, you see what I'm saying? So this is our belief: Even though a Muslim is accused and convicted, our support must remain with him."

But an increasing chorus is voicing its discontent, saying the council's continuing support for Ali sends a bad message to the community.

"It's an absolute disgrace that they embrace him," said Rafiq Al-Shahbaz, a Philadelphia lawyer now living in the United Arab Emirates. "People should be so angry... but instead it seems like they still fear him or his thugs."

Imam Luqman Ahmed of the United Muslim Masjid in South Philadelphia is more measured.

"Personally, I'm sad to see the state of affairs with Ali," Ahmed said. "It's going to turn a lot of people off from the Majlis Ash'Shura, and it will probably be in the community's best interest for him to stop his involvement with it."

Opponents of Ali and his wife, Faridah, have attempted four times in the last year to wrest control of the Philadelphia Masjid and the Sister Clara Muhammad School at 47th Street and Wyalusing Avenue Philadelphia.

But Mubashshir said Ali's security detail prevents the dissidents from even entering the mosque for prayers.

During Ali's trial, prosecutors alleged that he used his mosque, the school and a business in a series of "money-for-nothing schemes" that generated tens of thousands of dollars in illegal income. He was convicted of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, and assorted mail-fraud, bank-fraud, and extortion charges by a federal district court jury in June.

In addition to his prison sentence, Ali was ordered to pay restitution and fines totaling $650,000.

Faridah Ali, his wife, was convicted a year ago of fraud after bilking Community College of Philadelphia. She was sentenced to one year of home confinement and ordered to pay back $30,000.