Suit Charges Discrimination In Illinois State Police Revoking Appointment of Muslim Chaplain

The Chicago Tribune reported yesterday that the Council on American Islamic Relations has filed a federal civil rights discrimination lawsuit on behalf of a Chicago imam whose appointment as the first Muslim state police chaplain was rescinded after critics complained that he had ties to Hamas. The imam, Sheikh Kifah Mustapha, had solicited funds on behalf of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, once the country's largest Muslim charity until its leaders were indicted on charges of funneling money to Hamas. (See prior posting.) Steve Emerson of the Investigative Project on Terrorism  said that Mustapha was one of some 300 unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land case. Mustapha's lawyer said the imam believed the funds were being used for Muslim causes in the United States. In a release announcing the filing of the lawsuit, CAIR-Chicago said the state police action was reminiscent of the Red Scare of the 1950's. (See prior related posting.)