MOHAMMEDANS AT LAW

Evening Star, Issue 21905, 17 December 1934, Page 9

MOHAMMEDANS AT LAW

COCOA DEALS AT MOSQUE Eaizur Rasul, a twcnty-four-year-old Mohammedan, employed at Elm Bank Mansions, Barnes, was the plaintiff in Mr Justice Acton’s Court in the King’s Bench Division recently, when he claimed £lO6 10s 10d which ho said ho lent to Abdul Majid,/ the Imam at the Mohammedan Mosque, Woking. ' • ■ • ■; ■ Mr V. W. Beney, for the plaintiff, said Rasul left India at the beginning of 1929, when he was nineteen, and came to this country to learn English and a trade. Being a Mohammedan, and haying no means or friends, ho thought it best to go to the centre ot nis religion in this country, the Mosque at Woking. This was administered at the time by the defendant, Abdul Majid. * A. . It was arranged that Rasul should act as the Imam’s servant at a wage of £1 a week. He was not, in fact, paid the £1 a week, as Majid suggested that he should allow the money to accumulate. \ At the end of 1931, continued counsel, a black man who was apparently a friend of Majid, went to the mosque. His name was Copper-Copper, and he was interested in some business scheme connected with cocoa. Majid said ho had a deal with Copper-Copper, and proposed to pay £25 of Rasul’s money into the deal, promising to repay it with another £25. Later he proposed to pay another £75, and afterwards told Rasul that the money had been lost. The book in which the accounts were kept was produced in court, and the amount owing to the plaintiff was shown as £lO3 10s 10d. On April 3 last Rasul was dismissed. He asked for thcV money owing to him, and was told by Majid that the amount was £3l 10s lOd, because the other £75 had been lost by the deal with Copper-Copper. Rasul, giving evidence, said; “Mr Majid told me my money was to come back if I prayed more. (Laughter.) ■ Giving evidence, Majid declared that he paid Rasul's wages regularly.'

Copper-Copper, he said, started a, busi, ness to deal in cocoa. Rasul gave hit* £25 to invest, and Copper-Copper brought back £so—a - net of £35. Later Cop-per-Copper suggested - another investment, and Rasul handed’ over £B3; '; • . Mr Justice Acton,; giving judgment, said no one could deplore more than ho did thi« unfortunate dispute, particularly because, although subjects of the British Empire, the parties spoke a different language , and professed a different religion' from whai was common in this part-of the world. He had to determine which side he believed. The whole of the defendant’s story sounded improbable. The documents Which might have revealed what the enterprise was with Copper-Copper had not i been produced, and the matter Was left completely in the dark. v There would be judgment for the plain* tiff for (he amount claimed, with costs.