Said Jaziri: 5 Facts About the Muslim Imam Caught After Illegally Crossing the Mexican Border

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U.S. Border Patrol agents made an interesting discovery when they stopped a car 50 miles east of San Diego earlier this month. Inside the trunk of a BWM that was allegedly being driven by immigrant smugglers from Mexico, they found Said Jaziri, a Muslim cleric from Tunisia who was deported from Canada more than three years ago.

Jaziri is believed to have hopped a border fence near Tecate, the Los Angeles Times reported, hiked through the desert and met up with the driver of the BMW at a place known as a rendezvous point for immigrant smugglers.

So who is Said Jaziri? Surge Desk has a look at rather eye-catching facts about the imam.

1. He advocated Shariah law for Canada
On an appearance on CBC radio, Jaziri strongly defended the implementation of Shariah law. He also called for the government to fund the building of a $20 million mosque in Montreal.

2. He led demonstrations over the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad
After the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published a series of 12 cartoons, some of which depicted the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, Jaziri helped organize and lead demonstration marches in Canada.

3. His bail has been set at $25,000
It's unclear whether Jaziri will make bail, but authorities believed that he paid his Mexican smugglers $5,000 to get him inside the United States.

4. He was deported for covering up his criminal record
Canadian authorities deported Jaziri after learning that he failed to disclose a conviction and jail time for his role in an assault on a person in France whose actions had helped close a prayer room, the Montreal Gazette reported. Here's a CBC report from 2007, shortly before Jaziri's deportation:

5. He bragged about converting one Canadian woman to Islam every week
While living in Montreal, Jaziri gained a reputation as an outspoken member of the large Muslim community in Canada. Among the statements he made that ruffled feathers, however, were boasts that he converted a Canadian woman to Islam every week, and his contention that homosexuality was a sin.

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