Muslim group leader fired after he was discovered passing information to anti-Muslim hate group for years: report

The Ohio chapter of the national group Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced that it fired one of their top leaders after it was discovered he shared internal information about the group to "a known anti-Muslim hate group."

NPR reported Wednesday that former executive and legal director Romin Iqbal was fired when the national headquarters contacted board members with the information.

Forensic investigations by a third-party uncovered "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," CAIR-Ohio says.

He is accused of working with the Investigative Project on Terrorism, an organization founded by Steven Emerson, a foe of CAIR, that claims that Islam is an inherently violent and antagonistic religion. Emerson is known for creating fake "evidence" to fit his conspiracy theory that radical right-wing Islam has infiltrated the United States through civil rights groups like CAIR, said The Bridge Initiative.

The report revealed that Iqbal had been working with Emmerson for years. It was uncovered when someone sent a tip about the inner workings of Emmerson's group.

"Additionally, CAIR received extensive evidence that Emerson and his organization had worked for years to spy on prominent mosques and Muslim American organizations by using internal staff and volunteers, the group said. That included CAIR's chapter in Columbus, Ohio," said the report.

Read the full piece at NPR.org.