| A Muslim leader was punched in the face after a row broke out at the Midlands' largest mosque. Zafar Alam, a Birmingham Central Mosque trustee, was struck on the jaw by a worshipper during a prayer meeting on Friday. Trouble flared when Mr Alam tried to calm 70 year-old Saeed Shaikh who had interrupted prayers to shout abuse. It is thought the agitated man was upset about an article in a national newspaper which compared Muslims to dogs. Mosque chairman Dr Mohammed Naseem said that Mr Alam suffered a swollen jaw and had been left shocked by the incident. "He is a gentle man and probably won't press charges," said Dr Naseem. "But if he does, then of course we will support him." More than 4,000 worshippers watched in astonishment as the man stood up and started shouting during afternoon prayers. One onlooker said: "He was shouting in Urdu and English to the congregation and tried to accuse Dr Naseem and the management of some sort of betrayal. "The man started to interrogate the congregation, asking them if they had read the article comparing them to dogs. "He was worried that the mosque leaders weren't doing enough about things. Some of the trustees tried to contain the man and lead him outside but he refused. He disrupted everyone's prayers and a large crowd formed around him. "He continued to shout and when they tried to drag him out he hit a trustee on the jaw." Mr Shaikh last night confirmed that he had hit a man at the mosque but denied it had anything to do with concerns about racial tension. "I am unhappy about how the mosque is run, and about how Dr Naseem teaches Islam. But I am not unhappy about how Muslims are treated in this country." Mosque officials were meeting yesterday to decide whether to refer the incident to police. |