ILLINOIS
Daily Herald
The new attorney for an Elgin cleric charged with aggravated battery and sexual abuse said he “anticipates a plea of not guilty to all the charges,” when his client is arraigned, possibly next month.
Prosecutors did not announce an indictment against Mohammad Abdullah Saleem, 75, during his appearance Tuesday in a Rolling Meadows courtroom. That will likely occur during Saleem’s next appearance March 19, providing a Cook County grand jury approves the indictment against Saleem, the founder and former head of the Institute of Islamic Education, an Elgin Islamic school for students in sixth through twelfth grades.
Saleem, a native of India and a naturalized U.S. citizen, was charged last month with sexually abusing a 22-year-old office employee at the school from October 2013 through April 14, 2014.
Saleem’s accuser claimed he repeatedly hugged her, touched and massaged her against her will in her office at the Elgin school.
The Muslim community continues to support the school and Saleem, said defense attorney Raymond Wigell. To that end, Saleem remains a leader at the mosque, Wigell said.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.