Muslim-American advocacy group fires director for allegedly helping hate group

COLUMBUS (WXIX) - The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a nationwide Muslim civil rights organization, announced they fired their director for leaking information to a hate group.

An independent investigation determined Romin Iqbal recorded CAIR network meetings for several years and passed information about their national advocacy work for years to a known anti-Muslim hate group, CAIR officials said in a news release.

“After being confronted with clear evidence of misconduct, Iqbal admitted that he had been secretly working with the anti-Muslim hate group,” the release. “This betrayal and violation of trust was planned and purposeful, taking place over a period of years.”

Iqbal, 45, was recently suspended, the CAIR-Ohio board voted to fire him on Saturday and he was notified Tuesday, a CAIR-Ohio spokeswoman said in a news briefing Wednesday.

He worked for the group since 2006 and led the Columbus and Cincinnati offices since 2008, said spokeswoman, Whitney Siddiqi.

She identified the hate group as Investigative Project on Terrorism, which was founded by Steven Emerson. The group describes itself as a non-profit research group that investigates “radical Islamic terrorist groups.” Its website criticizes CAIR.

Emerson “is known for spreading hate, vitriol and anti-Muslim rhetoric,” she said Wednesday, calling this “a complete act of betrayal.”

In the wake of Iqbal’s termination, the Columbus office of CAIR-Ohio discovered suspicious purchases from ammunition and gun retailers conducted in recent weeks using a CAIR-Ohio credit card administered by Iqbal.

On Monday, CAIR-Ohio staff also found a suspicious package mailed to the CAIR-Ohio Columbus office containing parts for an AR-15 rifle.

CAIR-Ohio reported this information to law enforcement, which is currently investigating the matter, their news release says.

Siddiqi identified those agencies Wednesday as the Hilliard Police Department and the FBI.

She said CAIR OHIO also is considering taking legal action against Iqbal.

FOX19 NOW reached out to Hilliard police and the FBI for comment.

“As a matter of policy, we cannot confirm or deny the existence of a potential investigation,” wrote Todd Lindgren, FBI spokesman, in an email to FOX19 NOW.

Dave Thomas Law Offices is representing Iqbal, which said they have no comment.

A spokeswoman for Hilliard police said they can’t comment because “we’re having active, ongoing discussions with CAIR and the FBI on this matter, so we can’t be speaking on it quite yet. Once we have more information to share we’ll be sure to reach out.”

A Hilliard police report shows CAIR-Ohio turned over a list of 22 purchases totaling close to $4,000 from gun-related websites they say their former director made in just over a week, from Dec. 1 to Dec. 9.

Since the purchases were made while he was suspended and just before they fired him, CAIR-Ohio assumes he had prior knowledge they were going to fire him for his involvement with anti-Muslim groups, the police report states.

Hilliard police gave the CAIR-Ohio employee who contacted them their card and told her they would put on an extra patrol.

Police also told them to alert police if they hear from Iqbal or if he is seen on their property.

CAIR-Ohio told police they changed the locks to the business on Monday.

In a letter to the Ohio Muslim community, CAIR-Ohio encouraged mosques and community centers to exercise vigilance and review their security protocols out of an abundance of caution.

CAIR-Ohio’s local assets, operations, and infrastructure are safe and secure, the news release from the group says.

“We recognize the difficulty of receiving this information and the unease it brings. We all feel betrayed by a once-trusted leader and advocate whom we relied upon. However, our mission to protect the civil rights of Ohio Muslims transcends any one individual. We want to assure the community that CAIR-Ohio’s local assets, operations, and infrastructure are safe and secure.”

CAIR-Ohio’s Columbus-Cincinnati Board appointed Amina Barhumi as acting executive director. They say they are working to ensure clients are supported through this time.

“It is clear anti-Muslim extremists will stop at nothing to try to harm us. Although we are all shocked and saddened by these developments, we know civil rights organizations and movements for justice have been spied upon from within for decades. In particular, Muslim organizations have been the target of malicious surveillance attempts due to a continuous rise in Islamophobia over the past two decades,” CAIR-Ohio’s letter states.

“Despite these attempts to harm us, we are undeterred. Our dedicated team has a renewed commitment to our mission: to protect and defend the civil rights of Ohio Muslims. And we are only able to do this through your support as champions of justice.”

Here is some reaction from CAIR-Ohio leaders around the state:

“We were shocked and saddened to learn about this betrayal and incredible violation of trust. Our first priority is the safety and security of our community. We are now even more committed to defending and protecting Ohio Muslims from the anti-Muslim extremists who will clearly stop at nothing to try to harm us.” - Nabeel Raazi, Columbus-Cincinnati Board Chair for CAIR-Ohio

“CAIR-Ohio is moving forward with a renewed commitment to protect the civil rights of Ohio Muslims. Our mission and work transcend any one individual. CAIR-Ohio will continue to defend against Islamophobia and those who attempt to undermine the civil rights and safety of Ohio’s Muslim community.” - Amina Barhumi, Columbus-Cincinnati Acting Executive Director for CAIR-Ohio

“Civil rights organizations and movements for justice have been spied upon from within for decades. In particular, Muslim organizations have been the target of malicious surveillance attempts due to a continuous rise in Islamophobia over the past two decades.” - Lina Abbaoui, Columbus-Cincinnati Acting Legal Director for CAIR-Ohio

Here is the letter CAIR-Ohio sent its members in its entirety:

Assalamu Alaikum Community Members,

With a heavy heart, we are writing to share some important information with you and all our supporters across the state of Ohio.

The local Columbus-Cincinnati Board of Directors for CAIR-Ohio has terminated Executive and Legal Director Romin Iqbal upon learning that he committed egregious ethical and professional violations.

Last week, CAIR’s national headquarters informed our chapter that a forensic investigation conducted by an independent, third-party expert had found conclusive evidence that Iqbal had spent years secretly recording CAIR network meetings and passing confidential information regarding CAIR’s national advocacy work to a known anti-Muslim hate group. The forensic expert verified that he was not aided by any other CAIR individual.

After being confronted with clear evidence of misconduct, Iqbal admitted that he had been working with the anti-Muslim hate group. This betrayal and violation of trust was planned and purposeful, taking place over a period of years.

In the wake of Iqbal’s termination, the Columbus office of CAIR-Ohio has discovered suspicious purchases from ammunition and gun retailers made in recent weeks using a CAIR-Ohio credit card that Iqbal administered. Yesterday, CAIR-Ohio staff also found a suspicious package mailed to the CAIR-Ohio Columbus office containing parts for an AR-15 rifle. CAIR-Ohio has shared this information with law enforcement, which is currently investigating the matter.

The safety of our community is our top priority. We encourage mosques and community members to exercise vigilance and review their security protocols out of an abundance of caution.

We recognize the difficulty of receiving this information and the unease it brings. We all feel betrayed by a once-trusted leader and advocate whom we relied upon. However, our mission to protect the civil rights of Ohio Muslims transcends any one individual. We want to assure the community that CAIR-Ohio’s local assets, operations, and infrastructure are safe and secure.

The local Columbus-Cincinnati Board has full confidence in the CAIR-Ohio team and has appointed Amina Barhumi as acting executive director and Lina Abbaoui as acting legal director for the region. CAIR-Ohio is working to ensure our clients and all Muslims who depend on us are supported through this transition.

It is clear anti-Muslim extremists will stop at nothing to try to harm us. Although we are all shocked and saddened by these developments, we know civil rights organizations and movements for justice have been spied upon from within for decades. In particular, Muslim organizations have been the target of malicious surveillance attempts due to a continuous rise in Islamophobia over the past two decades.

Despite these attempts to harm us, we are undeterred. Our dedicated team has a renewed commitment to our mission: to protect and defend the civil rights of Ohio Muslims. And we are only able to do this through your support as champions of justice.

We are grateful to Allah for His protection and for the privilege to continue this important work. We will share additional information as we are able. In the meantime, please reach out to us directly if you have any questions. You can contact the CAIR-Ohio Columbus office at 614-451-3232 and the Cincinnati office at 513-281-8200.

Sincerely,

Local Columbus-Cincinnati Board of Directors, CAIR-Ohio

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