# Why was Mufti Abu Layth sent to prison?

*Why he was imprisoned: helping a friend, a police officer and a charge of aiding misconduct*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vzrrlx3livk/s/1/
- Date: 2015-04-06 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Unanswered Questions- An interview with Mufti Abu Layth (0:10–2:48)
- Status: a more recent answer exists: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/oyiipehuiha/s/23/; general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZRrlX3lIVk&t=10s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vzrrlx3livk/

**Topics:** Personal stories and reflections; The Mufti and the channel; Extremism, crime and justice

**Question as asked:** You were recently released from prison. What was that all about?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth was charged with aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office after contacting a police officer to arrange mediation for a friend whose children were missing, and served about seven weeks of a six-month sentence. He says he did nothing wrong and was treated unfairly for refusing to testify against the officer.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth thanks the interviewer for the chance to respond to questions people have been asking and takes the first: what led to his imprisonment for just under two months, about seven weeks. He says the matter dated back over three years and was small but was made big later. A childhood friend came home to find his young children missing, felt the authorities were unhelpful and asked Mufti for help, so Mufti tried to arrange mediation, in the course of which he contacted a police officer. Nothing came of the mediation, but a year and a half or two years later he was asked to testify against that officer, which he was not interested in doing since he did not believe the officer had done anything wrong in trying to help; as a consequence he was charged with aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office and he and his friend were given a six-month sentence. He says he does not feel he did anything wrong, that he was simply trying to help a friend reconnect with his children, and that in his perception they were treated unfairly for refusing to add to the prosecution's case against the officer.

## Transcript (machine tier, 0:10–2:48)

[0:10] for uh taking the time out to allow me to respond to some of the questions that people have been asking and I mean there's some genuine curiosity out there so I'd like to inshah uh elaborate on some of these in detail um for many of our friends brothers sisters out there students and teachers that have uh become aware of the predicament that befell me I was imprisoned for just under two months

[0:46] around s weeks and it was a lot of people have been asking what led up to this actual incident it was actually a um uh an incident that dated back a few years really so we're talking almost over three years ago and it wasn't um something that was so huge but rather had been made huge at a later date there was an incident with a friend of mine a very good friend of mine uh somebody I've known since childhood that

[1:23] his he came home to find his uh family had were missing and he panicked and his children were missing and and they were young just around six and eight and he he was really really close with his with his family especially his children and so he kind of panicked and he tried to seek help from the authorities who he felt weren't being very helpful at the time now he had reached out to me as a dear friend to ask if I could um help in any possible way so I attempted to arrange mediation and this is what the gist of

[1:59] of the the incident was surrounding now in order to arrange mediation I had contacted a police officer uh and spoke of mediation at a much later dat and although nothing much came of that mediation unfortunately at a later date um we're talking almost 2 years later or one and a half years later I was asked to testify against this police officer to be a witness against him for something which I didn't believe that he had done anything wrong in trying to help us uh I wasn't really too interested as a consequence um I myself then faced charges of aiding and abetting a

[2:38] misconduct in a public office uh for which we were imprisoned me my friend as well and we we were given a six-month sentence so I mean that that was the really the gist of what had taken place I don't feel that I actually did anything wrong um I feel that all I simply was trying to do was help a friend uh somebody who was just trying to reconnect with his children and I feel that we were I mean this is my perception and although people may disagree I feel we were unfairly um treated against in a way

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment VZRrlX3lIVk/s/1. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vzrrlx3livk/s/1/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.