Man Accused Of Recruiting Australians To Fight With IS, Successfully Applied To Have His Bail Relaxed During Ramadan

A Sydney man accused of recruiting Australians to fight with the Islamic State (IS) in Syria will be allowed to live at a city’s mosque during the month of Ramadan, helping him offer his religious devotion properly.

Since his arrest in 2013, Hamdi Alqudsi has been on strict conditional bail and due for trial in early 2016. But Alqudsi’s lawyer has requested the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday to allow him to live in the Suburban Islamic Association’s Minto mosque between July 7 and July 17, so that he could follow the religious requirements for Ramadan.

While the man successfully applied to have his bail relaxed during the month, his lawyer, Zali Burrows said Alqudsi would still report to police daily.

According to Islamic calendar, Ramadan or Ramzan falls on the ninth month, Muslims around the world focus on prayer, fasting, giving to charity, and religious devotion during this time.

The Crown challenged the request, claiming, “a house of worship is not a place of residence”, for it could be difficult for the police to check on the accused and ensure his bail conditions were intact.

However, his lawyer argued the law enforcement authorities would keep a close watch on the mosque during his stay, Judge Robert Beech Jones agreed to the request. The 39-year-old will have to report to Campbelltown police everyday and won’t get the permission to leave the mosque's premises between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

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