A Muslim prayer leader charged with touching the breasts of two teenagers and a grandmother on the northern beaches believes he is the victim of a misunderstanding.
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Ahmed Alkahly, a 59-year-old Egyptian national who is a well-known qari, or prayer reciter, in his homeland, is visiting Sydney to lead evening prayers at the Dee Why Masjid mosque for the month of Ramadan.
Police will allege that, in two separate incidents on Wednesday afternoon, he approached a 16-year-old girl and a 57-year-old grandmother, who was pushing her grandson in a pram, and indecently assaulted them by touching their breasts along Dee Why Beach.
Both victims called the police. Mr Alkahly was found nearby minutes later and arrested.
Police will allege he also approached a 16-year-old girl in a reserve in Dee Why on Monday afternoon and touched her breasts.
"They’re certainly distressed by the incident," Inspector Craig Wonders said of the three victims.
However, Mr Alkahly’s Sydney-based son said the incidents were the result of a misunderstanding and his father, who does not speak English, is so embarrassed and distressed by his subsequent arrest that he has almost suffered a nervous breakdown.
He said the incidents arose when people on the beach asked to have their photos taken with his father, who was wearing exotic Egyptian Islamic dress.
Mr Alkahly also came into contact with one of the women because her dog started barking and gnarling at him, he said.
‘‘I’m so depressed, I can’t talk,’’ said the son.
A spokesman for Dee Why Masjid, Usamah Alamudi, said Mr Alkahly was simply showing ‘‘love and compassion’’ but had misunderstood the cultural differences between Australia and Egypt.
‘‘He’s very distressed. He’s been crying,’’ Mr Alamudi said. ‘‘He’s a good man.’’
The mosque released a short statement on its website urging people to stop sending abusive emails.
"In relation to recent alleged assault charges against a temporary visitor connected to Dee Why Mosque, we would like to inform the public that he is NOT the imam of Dee Why Mosque nor he is directly employed by us," the statement said.
"Please refrain from sending abusive emails to Dee Why Mosque's imam as he has nothing to do with this. The Islamic Society of Manly Warringah's committee will issue an official statement later today on this website."
Mr Alkahly is one of several qaris or prayer reciters sent to Australia for Ramadan by the Egyptian government.
The Australian Foundation of Islamic Councils assists in distributing them to mosques around Sydney where they sing the evening prayers.
An AFIC spokesman said they provided a letter of support for the man’s one-month working visa but simply acted as a facilitator for the mosque.
‘‘Different organisations approach us to provide a cantor and they can nominate their own,’’ he said. ‘‘We have no interaction with the individuals.’’
Mr Alkahly was planning on leaving Australia on August 9 but will have to front North Sydney Local Court on Monday on three counts of indecent assault.
