Jalal Uddin was stalked and bludgeoned to death because the accused pair believed that his practice of ruqya healing, involving the use of amulets, was black magic

Two Islamic State supporters were involved in the murder of a respected imam because of their hatred and intolerance for his form of Islam, a court has been told.

Jalal Uddin was stalked and bludgeoned to death because the accused pair believed that his practice of ruqya healing, involving the use of amulets, was black magic and deserved severe punishment, Manchester crown court was told. Mr Uddin, 71, a Bangladeshi, was hit several times in the head and face, probably with a hammer, as he walked home from a friend’s house in Rochdale on February 18.

Paul Greaney, QC, for the prosecution, said: “Who hated a decent man like Jalal Uddin with such virulence? The answer to that important question is to be found in