Islamic Society Criticized for Way It Handled Suicidal Man

More than a week after Muhammad Akram Qureshi poured gasoline over his head and set himself on fire, suffering burns that later killed him, some in Orange County’s Islamic community are wondering if his death could have been prevented.

Qureshi, well known for badgering Garden Grove police and the Orange County Board of Supervisors, had become a nuisance at the Islamic Society of Orange County’s mosque, where leaders had him banned for disturbing services.

Concerned that leaders of the Garden Grove mosque may not have done enough to prevent the mentally disturbed man’s death, some members of the Islamic community have begun organizing a campaign for an internal investigation.

“He was prone to depression, there’s no doubt about that,” said Khalid Baig, one of a group of critics. “He needed more kindness and help, which was denied to him.”

Islamic Society director Muzammil Siddiqi countered that the critics are motivated by petty politics, rather than humanitarian concerns.

“Those men saw him shouting, making noise, cursing and abusing people at the mosque,” Siddiqi said. “They just sat in back; they didn’t do anything to help him. I think they should be investigated.

“I’m very sad that he died. But I don’t think we did anything at all to provoke that. We did everything we could to calm him down, to bring him in and hug him.”

The controversy began with Qureshi’s suicide June 4, when he ignited himself outside Westminster Superior Court. He died the next day.

Qureshi, said by mosque officials to have been on medical leave from his job for treatment of depression, lived near the mosque and was a frequent visitor there. He would appear daily and often disrupt services with shouting tirades about political and personal issues.

He was known for similar outbursts at Garden Grove City Council meetings, Board of Supervisors meetings and at the city police headquarters. He was distraught over losing a court decision that barred him from the mosque and City Hall when the suicide occurred, officials said.

Qureshi, 50, was married with three young children.

On June 6, the day of Qureshi’s funeral, seven Garden Grove residents formed a committee to express concerns about his case. A letter issued by the group June 8 called for an independent investigation, a request that was turned down by the Islamic Society board of directors at a meeting Sunday evening.

“An investigation would have removed the suspicions and doubt that’s built up,” said group spokesman Baig, a Garden Grove software engineer.

Leaders of the Garden Grove mosque, however, say Qureshi was treated with dignity and respect and was several times referred to local doctors for his depression.

“We bent over backward to talk to him for more than three years,” said Haitham Bundakji, vice chairman of the Islamic Society of Orange County. “We asked him to pray and worship peacefully, then leave. He refused to do that.”

He said that Qureshi was treated well and was given many warnings before his behavior at the mosque was deemed too disturbing for other worshipers.