This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
West Valley City police arrested Shuaib-ud Din on Tuesday on suspicion of felony aggravated assault and two misdemeanor charges related to domestic violence allegations made by his wife in January.
The former religious leader at the Khadeeja Mosque was arrested about 1 p.m. outside a home in Murray near 1200 West and Saddle Bluff Drive (6795 South), said police Capt. Tom McLachlan. It is believed the imam was staying there after returning from Chicago to appear for a protective-order hearing Feb. 5 in 3rd District Court.
At that hearing, the imam was granted supervised visitation with his children and was allowed to worship at the West Valley City mosque, where he was the imam for more than seven years.
Din's attorney, Albert N. Pranno, said his client denies all the allegations his wife cited in a protective order she filed Jan. 16.
The Feb. 5 hearing marked the first public appearance for Din since he was fired by the mosque Jan. 15 in the wake of the abuse allegations. At that time, criminal charges had yet to be filed.
But on Friday, the Salt Lake County Attorney's Office filed the three charges against Din in 3rd District Court. He was charged with aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, as well as simple assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child, both class B misdemeanors.
The charges stem from allegations made by Ayesha Siddiqa Din, Din's wife, accusing him of slamming her head into a freezer at their home Jan. 2 and beating and kicking her in front of one of their two children. The next day, Din allegedly threw a knife at her in the home and threatened to kill her if she spoke about the abuse, court documents say.
Friends of Ayesha Siddiqa Din took her to West Valley City Police Department headquarters Jan. 13, 11 days after the assault was said to have occurred. There, she told investigators that Din had abused her throughout their seven-year marriage. The Din's wife does not speak English, so a family friend interpreted for her.
Din was booked into the Salt Lake County jail Tuesday at 5:51 p.m. His bail was set at $50,000.
A court commissioner appointed a guardian ad litem for the couple's children, ages 5 and 6. The Utah Division of Child and Family Services was conducting its own investigation into the abuse allegations when the police filed their case.