Tea Party Fort Lauderdale, Other Groups Protesting to Shut Down Margate Sunni Mosque

If you happen to be in Margate tomorrow night, be on the lookout for a few of South Florida's more religulous outside the Masjid Jamaat Al-Mumineen mosque.

The protest comes in response to the arrest of 24-year-old Izhar Khan -- the mosque's imam -- who pleaded not guilty late last week to charges of supporting the Pakistani Taliban.

His father, 76-year-old Hafiz Muhammad Sher Ali Khan, and his brother, 37-year-old Irfan Khan, have also been indicted in the case.

Apparently not hip to the innocent-until-proven-guilty justice system in the U.S., Tea Party Fort Lauderdale, Americans Against Hate, Citizens of Margate, Pastor Mark Boykin of Church of All Nations in Boca Raton, and others are planning to hold a press conference tomorrow to make an announcement of the night's protest.

Boykin tells Charisma "It appears that the leadership of the mosque is in conspiracy to finance the militant Taliban in Pakistan," and is calling for the government to shut the mosque down.

Then there's Citizens of Margate's Patrick Laffey, who goes straight for eradication:

"Those of us who work and live in Margate stand behind our troops in our fight against terrorism, and we must eradicate any group, including the MJAM, that supports the Taliban and other terrorist organizations," Laffey tells Sunshine State News.

Despite the accusations against Izhar Khan and his family, the mosque's president of the board of directors, Yazid Ali, calls Izhar a "bright young star" in his capacity with the mosque.

Here's what the mosque's executive board has posted on its website:

• We at Masjid Jamaat Al Mu'mineen were surprised with the arrest of Imam Izhar Khan.
• We would like everyone to know that there are no charges against Masjid Jamaat Al Mu'mineen for any wrong doing, and we are cooperating with all the authorities involved in this case.
• We would like everyone to know that Masjid Jamaat Al Mu'mineen do not support Terrorism, for this is forbidden in Islam. The Quran clearly tells us "Do No Spread Corruption on Earth".