Imam deported for lying on documents

Muhammad Masood (right), the former imam at the Islamic Center of New England's mosque in Sharon, is being deported to Pakistan for lying on immigration documents. (He falsely stated that he had returned to Pakistan for two years after graduate studies at BU, and he withheld the fact that he had been arrested for shoplifting in a case in which the charge had been dismissed.) Masood is a 50-year-old father of eight who has lived in the US for 20 years; his family will apparently remain here. In the Globe, Jonathan Saltzman reports:

"Although he was relieved he would not be arrested, the former imam of the Islamic Center of New England's mosque in Sharon was heartbroken about leaving his wife and children, said his lawyer, Norman S. Zalkind of Boston. Masood also fears returning to a volatile country where he could be in danger from Muslim extremists who reject his preachings of peace, the lawyer said. 'This is a very disturbing case to our office,' Zalkind told District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock as Masood sat silently at the sentencing hearing. 'His family has been living in this country for 20 years. He is totally petrified of going back to Pakistan.' Outside the courtroom later, Zalkind went further. He said the case reflects an anti-Islamic bias and accused US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan of using federal antiterrorism funds to pursue what are essentially immigration cases. 'Post-9/11, there's a huge budget for terrorism, and they don't find terrorists here in the United States,' Zalkind said. 'So they spend their money on these types of cases.' In a brief telephone interview, Sullivan said his office does not receive money specifically earmarked for combating terrorism and flatly denied that Masood's prosecution reflects an anti-Islamic bias. 'The fact of the matter is this individual lied to immigration officials a number of times over a number of years,' Sullivan said. 'The reason why he was prosecuted has nothing to do with his national origin or his faith.'"