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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