Thu Apr. 08 2010 11:38:38 AM, ctvottawa.ca

The imam of Ottawa’s largest mosque will be able to stay in Canada and continue his work in the capital now that the government has renewed his visa. Khaled Abdul-Hamid Syed was ordered to leave the country last month when immigration officials refused his application to renew his visa. Last week, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said the deportation order appeared to stem from a problem with documents submitted with Syed’s application.

The situation caused concern among members of Ottawa’s Muslim community, who feared Syed’s deportation could lead to radicalization of the mosque.

Syed’s new visa will allow him to stay in Canada until the end of his appointment in July 2011.

Syed, who is Egyptian-born, came to Ottawa on loan from the Egyptian Ministry of Religious Affairs. The mosque in Ottawa can’t afford to pay his salary, so he is currently being paid by the Egyptian embassy.