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Judge finds NY Imam Innocent

Arthur J Pais

A controversial New York imam, who had been found guilty of sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy in his congregation, declared on Wednesday that "the truth has come" a few minutes after a judge dismissed the jury verdict.

Judge Abraham Gerges overturned the verdict against Imam Mohammad Rahman because he said an interpreter had incorrectly translated parts of the boy's testimony and new evidence had been discovered. He clearly asserted "an innocent person has been convicted."

But as the imam's supporters cheered the verdict, prosecutors said they are studying the judgement to see if they have grounds for an appeal.

The charge against the imam had roiled the predominantly Bangladeshi community in New York, and those who believed in the accusations had stopped praying at the Masjid-ul-Aman. The 52-year-old imam was arrested in April 1999.

His supporters said they could not understand why the boy's parents did not complain earlier. The alleged incident had taken place in 1997. Some of the imam's supporters suggested that the boy's parents had a personal grudge against the imam and they blew up an innocent act out of proportion.

They said the imam was merely teaching the boy how to clean himself before prayers.

But others said the imam and his supporters were interpreting religious customs to hide his unlawful acts. He could have taught the boy without touching him, they said.

As the controversy turned bitter, the editor of Bengali weekly Thikana which had first reported the story started receiving death threats.

The complaint said the imam had tried to grab the boy's genitals and talked to the boy about shaving his pubic hair. It also said he tried to kiss the boy.

Among the imam's supporters, Weekly Bangladesh editor Mohammad Khan declared that teaching young men to "beautify" themselves before going to mosque adds to the "sacred atmosphere."

On Wednesday, however, judge Gerges seemed to agree with the imam's supporters on one serious count. He agreed there was ill-will between the boy's parents and the imam much before the charges were brought.

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