A Muslim prayer leader charged with touching the breasts of two teenagers and a grandmother on the beach believes he is the victim of a misunderstanding. Ahmed Alkahly, a 59-year-old Egyptian who is a well-known qari, or prayer reciter, in his homeland, is visiting Sydney to lead evening prayers at the Dee Why Masjid mosque during the month of Ramadan.Police allege that, in two separate incidents on Wednesday, he approached a 16-year-old girl and a 57-year-old grandmother, who was pushing her grandson in a carriage, and indecently assaulted them by touching their breasts on Dee Why Beach. Both victims called the police, and Alkahly was found nearby minutes later and arrested.
However, Alkahly's Sydney-based son said it was all the result of a misunderstanding and his father, who does not speak English, is so embarrassed and distressed by the arrest that he has almost had a nervous breakdown.
He said the incidents arose when people on the beach asked to have their photos taken with his father, who was wearing exotic Egyptian Islamic dress.
| "Since I'm not praying at the moment, I may as well walk down to the beach in my exotic costume and pose for some photos with the local infidel babes." |
Usamah Alamudi, a spokesman for Dee Why Masjid, said Alkahly was simply showing "love and compassion" but had not understood the cultural differences between Australia and Egypt.
| I think in Egypt a strange cleric touching a woman's private parts is even less acceptable than in Australia, where it is not acceotable at all. |
The mosque released a short statement on its website advising people not to send abusive emails. The statement said, "In relation to recent alleged assault charges against a temporary visitor connected to Dee Why Mosque, we would like to inform the public that he is NOT the imam of Dee Why Mosque nor he is directly employed by us. Please refrain from sending abusive emails to Dee Why Mosque's imam as he has nothing to do with this."