Canadian Imam arrested while on pilgrimage
Posted Oct 30, 2011 02:43:08 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MEDINA, SAUDI ARABIA – Eyewitnesses and a human rights group say a Canadian Imam has been beaten, arrested and falsely charged while on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Usama Al-Atar’s family and friends say he was leading a prayer recitation in Medina today when 10 to 15 members of the country’s religious police asked the small group to move along.
Mohamed Hayward, a UK citizen who was part of the group, says religious police then harassed the compliant pilgrims and zeroed in on Al-Atar.
He says they “virtually strangled” Al-Atar, even though the University of Alberta cancer researcher didn’t put up a fight. Hayward says the 33-year-old Canadian is now “languishing in a jail” and is expected to appear in court tomorrow morning.
Al-Atar, has an elderly father, a pregnant wife and a three year-old-child in Canada who are all extremely worried about what happened.
His sister, Eman Al-Atar of Port Moody, says they can’t do much at the moment..
“It’s very difficult. It’s not easy,” she says. “We’re holding on together and the community is helping us and supporting us, and we’re just praying, everybody’s praying hard. We’re really hoping for the release soon.”
She says she’s contacted Foreign Affairs and they say they are aware of the situation, and are working on it.
