More about the Khadeeja Islamic Center

Utah imam is fired amid allegations of domestic violence, shirked duty

Imam Shuaib-ud Din has been terminated from his position as religious leader of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake amid allegations of domestic violence. Police said they responded to a "domestic-related incident" at Din's home a week ago, and the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office reported an attempt to serve a protective order against him on Thursday. Contacted by phone, a relative of the imam said he was in Chicago now but would not comment on the allegations. The relative acknowledged that Din and his wife were having marital problems but said the imam was driven out of town by disgruntled members of the society's board.

Given the Muslim tradition of being a he-man woman haters club, you can only wonder what kind of beating the Imam could have given that poor woman that would cause the members of the society's board to run him outof town on a rail, right? Listen to this:

The imam's relative said that by about 8 a.m. Jan. 13, Din already had left Salt Lake City after being dropped off at Salt Lake City International Airport by board members who took him there and suggested he leave the country. With no immediate flights available to Chicago, the imam rented a car, drove to Las Vegas and caught a flight to Chicago, his relative said."

Oh and about that stuff he did?

The board, of which Hossain is a former president, met after the allegations surfaced and requested a meeting with Din, Hossain said. But the imam, whom the board did reach by phone, never showed up for the meeting, Hossain said. "To this date," the board "remains unaware of his whereabouts," Hossain said.

Din's relative, who asked not to be identified out of safety concerns, said he left town because the board had forced him to.

The relative said the abrupt departure - one that left the imam "in shock" - was driven by something more than his marital issues. The imam, the relative said, had recently raised concerns about board finances, the exclusion of women from the board and the housing of "suspicious" individuals in the mosque."

This all sounds very, very suspect to me. I first tweaked to this Din guy when I was looking up info on the Al Noor Mosque, home mosque of the Trolley Square shooter.

I am happy to report that Din has been arrested. You can read more about it here but this will give you the flavor.

"He was charged with aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, as well as simple assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child, both class B misdemeanors. The charges stem from allegations made by Ayesha Siddiqa Din, Din's wife, accusing him of slamming her head into a freezer at their home Jan. 2 and beating and kicking her in front of one of their two children. The next day, Din allegedly threw a knife at her in the home and threatened to kill her if she spoke about the abuse, court documents say.

Friends of Ayesha Siddiqa Din took her to West Valley City Police Department headquarters Jan. 13, 11 days after the assault was said to have occurred. There, she told investigators that Din had abused her throughout their seven-year marriage. The Din's wife does not speak English, so a family friend interpreted for her."