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The members of a panel who are carrying out an inquiry into allegations that an imam at a Peterborough mosque offered to marry an underage girl, have been named.
A full inquiry was launched recently by mosque leaders after allegations were made that an imam offered to ‘marry’ a 12-year-old girl to a man in his 20s.
The Husaini Islamic Centre, in Burton Street, issued a statement last month after the Sunday Times reported allegations that imam Mohammed Kassamali told an undercover reporter that he could carry out the ceremony.
It revealed Mr Kassamali has temporarily stepped down while the investigation is carried out.
This week, the mosque confirmed that Mr Kassamali is still away from duties at the venue and it also named the members of the panel carrying out the inquiry.
A spokesman for the centre said: “We can confirm that Imam Mohammed Kassamali at the moment still continues to be away from duties.
“Our panel of inquiry has begun its deliberations into the matter and we expect their recommendations once that process has completed.
“The panellists are a mix of experts and individuals drawn from the local community and we expect their inquiry to be thorough.”
The members are:
Keith Akerman – former senior police officer and specialist in child protection
Michael Wakelin – former BBC head of religion
Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra- a high-profile Islamic scholar and interfaith specialist from the Muslim Council of Britain
Ali Reza Bhojani – an Arabic and Islamic studies specialist and educationalist
Shalina Chandoo – local human rights lawyer
Saeeda Jiwa – a local social worker.
Cambridgeshire police previously said that no complaints have been made relating to the mosque, but would look into whether any offences have occurred.
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