ANGRY ARAB
Edmonton imam Usama Al-Atar. PHOTO/Islamic Human Rights Commission/edmontonjournal.com
“An Edmonton imam was assaulted and arrested early Sunday morning while on a pilgrimage in the Saudi Arabian city of Medina, a witness says. Usama Al-Atar, a prominent Islamic scholar and post-doctoral fellow at the University of Alberta chemistry department, was leading a group of 10 pilgrims in prayer at a religious burial site in Medina when a group of Saudi religious police began to harass the group, said Michael Hayward, who witnessed the incident. Al-Atar was injured and arrested during the incident, which has stunned the Shiite Muslim community in Edmonton where the popular scholar regularly lectures and teaches Sunday school.”
Edmonton imam assaulted, arrested in Saudi Arabia, witness says
by MARIAM IBRAHIM and ANDREA SANDS
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The police began shouting and accusing Al-Atar of being a thief before restraining him, Hayward said. Eventually one of the religious police officers pushed Al-Atar into a small kiosk area where he struggled to breathe.
“They pushed him into a small kiosk area beneath an air conditioning unit and he nearly got asphyxiated. He was turning blue.” They held him for several minutes, Hayward said. “He was absolutely passive. He did not give any resistance. We were all saying, ‘Let him go, let him go,’ but it was falling on deaf ears.”
Canada.com for more
(Thanks to Robin Khundkar)