POINT, St James – When Sheikh Abdullah el-Faisal visited family members in this small rural farming community five days after he was deported from England, he reportedly instructed them not to give any more interviews to the press unless they receive payment.

And so far, it seems that the Forrests, who had willingly given interviews to the local press in the past, are determined to adhere to el-Faisal’s “request”.

“We are sticking by it [el-Faisal’s request] out of respect for him,” el-Faisal’s younger brother, Marshall Forrest told the Sunday Observer late last week.

“He told us that it was insane for anybody to give interviews concerning him without being paid,” Forrest said.

Forrest, a policeman with more than 10 years service in the Jamaica Constable Force (JCF), did not say how much local media houses would have to dole out for interviews.

But in a previous interview with the Sunday Observer, Forrest had requested JA$300,000 for the information he claimed el-Faisal had shared with him about the allegations. Forrest said then, that el-Faisal needed the money as his assets had been frozen in the UK. Forest also said that el-Faisal’s friend, who returned to London last week, was hoping to sell the post-prison interview to the British media.

el-Faisal, a Jamaican-born Islamic cleric, who spent most of his childhood life in Point, was deported to Jamaica on May 25, after serving time in a British prison. He was the first person in more than a century to be convicted under Britain’s 1861 Offences Against the Person Act after he was found guilty of soliciting murder and fuelling racial hatred in 2003.

Since his arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport on a flight from England, he has refused to give interviews to the local press.

But late last week, Forrest made it clear that el-Faisal does not have a problem giving interviews to the media. However, according to Forrest, his brother, being a “principled man”, firmly believes that the press had gotten enough interviews about him without paying for them.

“It’s not really about the money,” Forrest said, “it’s about the principle behind it.”

el-Faisal’s mother, Merlyene Forrest, also advised this reporter of el-Faisal’s “condition” for giving interviews, when the Sunday Observer visited her Point residence late last week.

She did say, however, that el-Faisal was taken to her home by two Muslims in a motor car at about 6:30 pm on Wednesday, May 30.

“When I saw him on Wednesday, I was very happy and I sey to him: ‘you look fat, it look like dem treat you good [in prison],” Merlyene Forrest said.

She said el-Faisal, who greeted her warmly, told her that during his incarceration he was allowed to cook for himself.

He also reportedly told his mother that some of the accusations levelled against him were unfounded.

Shortly before his departure from Point four days later, el-Faisal reportedly told his 69-year-old mother that he would be visiting again soon.

Meanwhile, several residents in the Point community told the Sunday Observer that they were unaware of el-Faisal’s recent visit to the community.