‘UK imam killed by ISIS supporters for practising black magic’

A 71-year-old Bangladeshi-origin imam, who was bludgeoned to death in February, was killed by two ISIS supporters because they viewed his practice of Islamic healing as “black magic”, prosecutors have told a UK court.

Jalal Uddin was attacked in Rochdale, near Manchester, on February 18, 2016. The imam was targeted after he left the mosque where he prayed, ate a meal at a friend’s house and then walked home, Manchester Crown Court heard.

“Mohammed Hussain Syeedy, the defendant, and an associate of his named Mohammed Abdul Kadir were supporters of ISIS and so they subscribed to the view that those who practised Ruqya (Islamic healing) deserved such punishment,” Prosecutor Paul Greaney said. “Uddin was a practitioner of a form of Islamic healing called Ruqya. IS regards it as black magic and adheres to the view that those who engage in it deserve severe punishment, even death,” he said.

Syeedy and Kadir, both in their early 20s, are believed to have murdered Uddin with a hammer, the court was told at an ongoing trial this week.

“These injuries were plainly not the result of a robbery gone wrong. On the contrary, they were obviously the result of an attack that was planned – why else did the killer have a hammer with him in a children’s park? – motivated by hatred and by a desire to humiliate Jalal Uddin and undoubtedly intended to kill or, at the very least, cause really serious harm,” Greaney said.

Uddin was found severely injured by two young girls, one of whom recognised him because he taught her the Quran, the court heard. The case is expected to conclude next month.