He had been given until Friday March 19 to to leave Australia but after lodging an appeal for ministerial intervention on humanitarian grounds his bridging visa has been extended a month.

Sheikh Mansour said he will accept Immigration Minister Chris Evan's final decision. But if he has to leave Australia and return to Iran, it will break up his family and the Shia community that is based around the Iman Husain Islamic Centre in Earlwood.

"The life of a family and a community is in jeopardy,'' he said.

His eldest sons, twins Reza and Sadegh, 26, have both married and have Australian residency.

But his wife Marzieh, son Ali, 20 and daughter Fatima, 14, would have to leave.

Ali is in his final year at university, doing a double major in logistics and accountantcy and said his studies would suffer if he had to leave Australia.

"If I have to go back I will have to learn to read and write Farsi,'' he said. ``It would be like going back to kindergarten.''

Sheikh Mansour, 47, lived for the past 16 years in Australia - one third of his life.

"My son Ali was four years old when we came here but still doesn't have residency.

"My daughter Fatima is an Australian citizen by birth. She is in year 9. She doesn't speak the Farsi language. For her to go back to Iran will definitely affect her education.''

Sheikh Mansour does not know what ASIO's allegations against him are. "All I have heard is that I have been assessed to be a risk to the national security of Australia,'' he said.

"They say for security reasons they cannot afford to release any information.

"It is very had to speculate. Allegations of spying have only been heard in the media.''

Another possibility is that ASIO could be acting on allegations from within the Muslim community, supplied by a malicious informant opposed to the sheikh's moderate stand.

"I have exhausted every legal avenue and if I have to leave, I will go.