Muslim cleric avoids deportation

Shafiq ur Rehman (second from right) faces a fresh legal threat

The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment in the case of a Muslim cleric, whom the government wants to deport.

Shafiq Ur Rehman, 29, won the right to stay in the UK following a landmark case before the Special Immigrations Appeals Commission last September.

Home Secretary Jack Straw challenged the ruling believing the Pakistani cleric - based in Oldham, Greater Manchester - was a threat to national security. He had ordered his deportation in 1997.

The appeal was the first of its kind and was heard over two days at the Royal Courts of Justice in London before three judges, including the Master of the Rolls, Lord Woolf.

They are expected to announce their verdict within the next few weeks.

The Home Office alleged that the Muslim cleric was involved in fund-raising for and the recruiting of rebels for fighting in disputed Kashmir.

Security service investigators claim he has directly raised funds for the Lashkar Tayyaba (LT) Mujahideen group, which is fighting a Jihad (holy war) in Kashmir, while working in Britain for its political wing, MDI.

Shafiq Ur Rehman said he was singled out for expulsion after an unsuccessful bid to recruit him as an informer by MI5.

The cleric, who came to Britain in 1993, said he had provided cash for MDI - Centre for Invitation to the Divine Teachings - but insisted the money was for building schools and hospitals in Pakistan.