Chicago-area imam charged with sex abuse at Islamic school

[webfact]

Chicago-area imam charged with sex abuse at Islamic school
By MICHAEL TARM

CHICAGO (AP) — The longtime head of a suburban Chicago Islamic school has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman who worked there, and a civil suit filed Tuesday accuses him of abusing that employee and three teenage students. The legal actions shed light on an issue Muslims say is too often pushed into the shadows within their communities.

Mohammad Abdullah Saleem, 75 — who founded the Institute of Islamic Education and is regarded as a leading Islamic scholar, or imam, in the United States — is charged with felony criminal sexual abuse. Prosecutors said he abused the 23-year-old woman, an administrative assistant at the Elgin school, in a series of escalating incidents over months.

The civil suit accuses Saleem of abusing that employee, as well as three female students at the school as far back as the 1980s. The lawyer in the civil case, Steven Denny, said Saleem took advantage of both the trust accorded to him as a religious leader and of the tendency of Muslims to remain silent on matters of sex and sexual abuse.

"This place was ripe for abuse," Denny told a news conference.

It took special courage, he added, for his clients to come forward within a culture that discourages even casual contact — never mind explicit sexual contact.

The suit says a fifth person was abused when he was 11 by a male staffer at the school, not Saleem. It accuses the school of failing to protect children, many of whom lived on campus. It asks for more than $1.5 million in compensation, saying the victims are psychologically scarred.

Defense attorney Thomas Glasgow said he talked to his client about the Elgin charges and that Saleem "categorically denies the allegations." He hadn't had a chance to speak to him about the lawsuit. No one answered the phone Tuesday at the school, which has students from grades six through 12 and is located 25 miles northwest of Chicago.

Saleem, of Gilberts, was arrested Sunday, Elgin police said. Authorities started investigating after the woman contacted them in December.

During a Tuesday bond hearing, prosecutors alleged that a month after the woman started working at the school in 2012, Saleem started removing the religious veil from her face and came into her office to hug her. Over several months, prosecutors said, he would hug her and squeeze her buttocks and breasts over her clothes.

Last April, prosecutors say Saleem locked the door of the woman's office, lifted her dress, forced her to sit on top of him, massaged her and held her down when she tried to get up. Prosecutors say they collected evidence, including evidence found on the woman's clothing.

The lawsuit says that when one female student told a teacher Saleem touched her inappropriately, she was told, "Saleem is an old man and old people do things like that — so just forget it."

Saleem's bond was set at $250,000 and he was ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim, her family or anyone under age 18. Glasgow said he expected Saleem to post bond later Tuesday. Saleem, who also had to surrender his passport, is due in court again March 10.

At Denny's news conference, a statement from the 23-year-old woman, referred to as Jane Doe No. 1, called on Muslims to speak up about sexual abuse. She said, "I will no longer stay silent."

The chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater America, to which the school belongs, says he examined the facility's bylaws and found they granted Saleem almost absolute decision-making power. In light of Saleem's arrest, Mohammed Kaiseruddin said Islamic schools nationwide should rework their bylaws to allow greater oversight.

Nadiah Mohajir, director of HEART Women and Girls, which raises awareness about sexual abuse in the Muslim community, called Saleem's arrest "a wake-up call" that presented an opportunity to address a topic that's been taboo for too long.

"The shame and stigma surrounding sexual abuse is even higher in Muslim communities, with its emphasis on purity and modesty," she said.

Kaiseruddin said the matter illustrated that Muslims were not immune to a problem that has plagued the Roman Catholic Church.

"We found out that Muslims are burdened by the same (issue) other faiths are burdened with," he said.
___

Associated Press reporter Don Babwin contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-02-18

[Seastallion]

Well done to the ladies/girls who had the courage to speak up. Hopefully this will encourage others.

[JockPieandBeans]

Mohammad Abdullah Saleem, 75 — who founded the Institute of Islamic Education and is regarded as a leading Islamic scholar

A leading Islamic Scholar.

That will be these guys, that according to some posters on this forum, are these Salt of the Earth type guys. Who are beyond reproach, speak out about Muslim atrocities et al.

[zaphod reborn]

I guess he thought he was entitled to early access to his virgins.

[NeverSure]

They aren't going to get away with that crap in the US if they are found out. He received a restraining (no contact) order, had his passport taken and has to post $250K bond.

Once he posts bail he loses a lot of rights. Anyone ever watch the TV show "Dog The Bounty Hunter?" He was hired to track down and capture bail jumpers. He would find them, beat the crap out of them if needed, handcuff them and drag them back to jail. This, and Dog was a civilian, and it happens all the time.

If convicted, this perp is going to prison for a loooong time.

[klauskunkel]

Just glad it happened in America and not in Pakistan, over there the victims would have been stoned to death after a mock trial.

[wabothai]

I am sure they will gladly throw the book at him.

[mick01827]

Following in the oh so great allahs footsteps.

BRING ON THE BACON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chaiyaphumlove]

They aren't going to get away with that crap in the US if they are found out. He received a restraining (no contact) order, had his passport taken and has to post $250K bond.

Once he posts bail he loses a lot of rights. Anyone ever watch the TV show "Dog The Bounty Hunter?" He was hired to track down and capture bail jumpers. He would find them, beat the crap out of them if needed, handcuff them and drag them back to jail. This, and Dog was a civilian, and it happens all the time.

If convicted, this perp is going to prison for a loooong time.

Are you sure about that, seeing that he's from Chicago he might be the President's personal Imam. I see a pardon in his future!

[Jai Dee]

One troll post and all replies to that post have been removed from this thread.

[kieran2698]

They aren't going to get away with that crap in the US if they are found out. He received a restraining (no contact) order, had his passport taken and has to post $250K bond.

Once he posts bail he loses a lot of rights. Anyone ever watch the TV show "Dog The Bounty Hunter?" He was hired to track down and capture bail jumpers. He would find them, beat the crap out of them if needed, handcuff them and drag them back to jail. This, and Dog was a civilian, and it happens all the time.

If convicted, this perp is going to prison for a loooong time.

Never mind Dog the Bounty Hunter in the States they've got Gentle Ben enforcing the law!

[Steely Dan]

Just glad it happened in America and not in Pakistan, over there the victims would have been stoned to death after a mock trial.

I'm glad it didn't happen in the UK, or community police officers working in tandem with social workers would have made sure the case never saw the light of day.

[Morch]

The abuse of religious authority in this context is something which can be found in all religions.

As some pointed out, the difference is more to do with how legal systems and law enforcement agencies actually deal with such cases.

[simple1]

The abuse of religious authority in this context is something which can be found in all religions.

As some pointed out, the difference is more to do with how legal systems and law enforcement agencies actually deal with such cases.

Correct. Major case recently in Oz where an Orthodox Jewish run school undertook the same (wrong) response that have come to the surface with some Christian institutions and in this case Islamic.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/feb/19/rabbis-absolute-power-how-sex-abuse-tore-apart-australias-orthodox-jewish-community