Mohammed is still coming to terms with the fact that praying in a petrol station car park in the United States can lead to questioning by police officers and even a visit by agents from the US government’s top criminal investigative agency.

Mohammed did not want his real name disclosed out of concern that his brush with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) could jeopardise his career as an economics teacher and consultant. But he wants his story told.

Mohammed was one of seven men apparently deemed suspicious by the FBI after they prayed near a petrol station in the western US state of Nevada in December.