Islamic Scholar Indicted on Charges of Sex Abuse, Battery

ILLINOIS
NBC Chicago

[with video]

By Regina Waldroup

A Cook County grand jury on Wednesday handed down an eight-count indictment against a prominent religious leader on charges of sex abuse and battery of a female school employee.

Mohammad Abdullah Saleem, 75, appeared in a Rolling Meadows courtroom filled with his supporters. The prominent Islamic scholar head of the popular Institute of Islamic Education in Elgin posted a $25,000 bond last month and remains free.

His attorneys, Raymond Wigell and Uma Rashid, entered a plea of not guilty.

“My client is holding up quite well,” said Wigell. “This is a big stress on him. He is a 75-year-old man. We are not in a hurry with this case. We want to do it right, but the judge is holding our feet to the fire and making us do work in an expeditious manner.”

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