Former Austin imam released from detention, will leave U.S.

Former Austin imam released from detention, will leave U.S.
Safdar Razi said he served God while he was detained
By Eileen E. Flynn

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF


Friday, June 13, 2008

After spending more than two months in a federal detention center, former Austin imam Safdar Razi was released Tuesday on the condition that he leave the country June 22.

Razi, a former leader of the Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association in Northwest Austin, was arrested at his home in Plano on April 2 on charges that he had overstayed his religious worker visa.

He was held by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency at its Haskell detention facility in West Texas as his lawyers attempted to keep him from being deported. Supporters from across the country have written letters to government officials on his behalf.

Razi, 43, declined to discuss the specifics of his case but shared plans to lead a community in East Africa.

Razi said he is not bitter about the outcome or angry at the government. He even spoke affectionately about his time in the Haskell detention center, where he established a ministry.

He gave nightly lectures and worked to educate Sunni Muslims about his Shiite tradition and non-Muslims about Islam.

"The religion, it was not even an obstacle," Razi said. "We all were friendly. We shared food together. It was such a beautiful and understanding environment. Everybody understood the needs of each other."

Some detainees, he said, had no family in the country, so Razi listened to their struggles and prayed with them.

"I thank God he gave me an excellent opportunity to serve him inside a unique place," Razi said.

During the past eight years, Razi, a native of Pakistan who grew up in Qatar, distinguished himself nationally as a promoter of interfaith education and a Shiite scholar. He led Austin's Shiite mosque for six years before taking a job in Dearborn, Mich., in 2006.

When terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, Razi became the face of Islam to many non-Muslims in Central Texas as he visited churches, synagogues, schools and community centers to explain that his religion did not endorse such attacks.

After his arrest in Plano, where Razi, his wife and three children were staying temporarily, supporters from across the country created the blog www.freesafdarrazi

.wordpress.com to track the imam's legal situation.

Dozens of Razi's friends from Austin's interfaith community wrote letters to elected officials asking them to intervene.

Rabbi Kerry Baker, who leads Congregation Kol Halev in Austin, regularly worked with Razi to improve relations between Jews and Muslims, addressing thorny issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Baker said Thursday that he regretted that Razi had to leave the country. "We need all the support for dialogue in our political life that we can possibly get," Baker said. "And we don't need to send such voices away."

But Razi said he is confident that God is steering the course of his life for good. He said he looks forward to being reunited with his mother, who he says will accompany his family to East Africa. "No matter what happened," he said, "it all turned out to be good."

eflynn@statesman.com; 445-3812
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/06/13/0613razi.html