A Philippine Muslim group has decried the arrest of a 68-year-old Canadian Islamic preacher over his alleged links to terror groups.
Ustadz Eisa Javier, director of the Mercy Islamic Center in Davao City, said Dr Abu Ameen Bilal Philips, a Jamaica-born Canadian citizen, is a victim of "Islamophobia”.
Philippine authorities arrested Philips on Sunday due to alleged security concerns.
But Javier said Philips had visited Davao City to preach about the Islamic way of raising children.
"There is nothing wrong with that. That's not terrorism," Javier said Thursday.
Philips' counsel, Gluce Jayma, told ucanews.com that the Muslim preacher "is not a terrorist or someone who works or supports terrorism or terror groups”.
Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said Philippine security and intelligence personnel were able to record parts of Philips' lecture in Davao and found nothing that would show he was encouraging extremism or terrorism.
"He was advocating Islam and there was really no reason to disturb him or arrest him. If he was only telling people to become good Muslims or follow the teachings of the Qu’ran, I see nothing wrong with that," Duterte said.
The mayor, however, said Philips’ fate is a matter for the Bureau of Immigration, adding that there are intelligence reports stating he has been preaching about extremism elsewhere.
Philippine security officials said Philips is a threat to national security and has to be deported because he "poses risks to the safety of the public”.
Philips has asked his lawyer to file an application for a voluntary exit rather than await a deportation order.
"He does not want this to be blown out of proportion, so he wants to voluntarily get out of the country," said Jayma.
Philips was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1946 but grew up in Toronto, Canada, where he converted to Islam in 1972.
He earned an arts degree at the Islamic University of Medina and studied Islamic theology at King Saud University in Riyadh. Later he founded the Islamic Online University in Qatar.
Since 2007 Philips has been banned from entering Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany and Kenya over possible terror links or extremist views.
The US government has also named him as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.