A Muslim man accused of threatening an Islamic leader with “jihad” has had the charge against him thrown out of court.
Abdulla Hamam, 23, was charged with intimidating former New Zealand Muslim Association president Glumly Haide Lone after he and several associates confronted him at his Sandringham home in May last year.
The incident came about after a group of Muslims accused of extremism – including Hamam and his father Salafist Imam Sheikh Abu Abdullah – were trespassed from the Avondale Islamic Centre.
Hamam defended the charge before Auckland District Court and after hearing the evidence, Judge Nicola Mathers dismissed the charge.
His lawyer Greg Morison said there was no case to answer and the judge agreed.
The judge-alone trial saw cell-phone-video footage played, which showed a group of young men approach Lone’s house.
Imran Patel, 25, who appears to be leading them, is shown knocking on the front door.
Various people shout “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is great) and ask the former Islamic leader why they had been trespassed.
“You think you’re God, eh? You’re nothing. You’re not a man. Come out of your house,” Patel says.
As the group look set to leave, Hamam is pictured approaching Mr Lone.
The Islamic leader told the court the 23-year-old warned him: “jihad will start from here”.
But Mr Morison disputed that and suggested his client had spent most of his time pacifying Patel.
He said the cell phone footage had been taken to protect themselves against allegations like his client had faced in court.
Patel pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening behaviour and was last year ordered to do 60 hours of community work and pay $300 to Mr Lone.
Hamam was cleared of any wrongdoing.
