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Imam accused of sex abuse of employee has court date, faces indictment
By George Houde
Grand jury indictments will be sought against the founder of an Islamic school in Elgin after he was arrested in February on charges he sexually abused a female employee, Cook County authorities said.In a separate proceeding, Mohammed Abdullah Saleem, 75, is scheduled to appear in court in Rolling Meadows on Tuesday morning on the sex abuse and battery charges.Assistant State's Attorney David Shin said he will present evidence to the grand jury later this week. Saleem, of Gilberts, was arrested after a 23-year-old woman told police he sexually abused her while she was working at the Institute of Islamic Education in April. Shin said Saleem posted bond shortly after his arrest and was released from custody while he awaits trial. He was ordered not to have contacted with the alleged victim or anyone under age 18 and had to surrender his passport. Saleem's attorney has denied the allegations. Separate from the criminal case against Saleem, his accuser and three other women have filed a civil lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault and battery. The other women say they were minors when the alleged abuse took place. In the lawsuit, the woman who is the alleged victim in the criminal case claims Saleem forced her to sit on his lap and fondled her when they were alone in her office. Prosecutors said the clothes the woman was wearing during that encounter tested positive for semen, though tests to compare the fluid to Saleem's DNA had not yet been completed for his last court hearing in February. The conservative scholar was trained in a fundamentalist Islamic movement based in India. He espouses strict gender segregation during worship and limited contact between men and women.
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