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Mosque Board Votes to Place Indicted Imam on Leave
An Islamic leader accused of concealing alleged ties to terrorist groups to gain U.S. citizenship was ordered by his mosqueâs trustees to take a leave of absence. Imam Fawaz Mohammed Damrah was charged last week with obtaining U.S. citizenship by providing false information. The indictment alleges he was a member or had links to several groups, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and concealed those affiliations when he applied for citizenship. He has pleaded innocent and is free on $160,000 bail. If convicted, he could lose his citizenship and face up to five years in prison. And then get booted out of the country. Trustees of the Islamic Center of Cleveland voted Monday to place Damrah on a paid leave of absence while he defends himself. "We support the imam as a person, but our obligation is to "No, Iâm the imam here. Iâm not leaving and you canât make me!" A board member said supporters are pushing for a vote of the general membership. Yes, Iâd like to see a show of hands. At a rally Friday, Damrah said the charges against him are part of "blatant targeting" of Islamic leaders by the In case you hadnât noticed, Mohammed, you are being granted your civil rights. You have been publicly charged with a crime and granted bail. You will have a attorney and a trial where you can answer the charges against you. If you lose, you can appeal. You wonât find those rights available to you in many Arab countries. Posted by: Steve 2004-01-21 |
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