DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - N.Y.: "FREEDOM OF SPEECH" EXISTS, BUT ONLY IF YOU DON'T CRITICIZE ISLAM & OLD MO'

Muslim group wants Rockland County jail chaplain fired

NEW CITY, N.Y. (AP) — Muslims in Rockland County have called for the dismissal of a jail chaplain who distributed anti-Islam booklets with derogatory depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.

Azra Fasihuddin, a West Nyack resident and a member of the Islamic Center of Rockland, said the congregation was infuriated to learn that Teresa Darden Clapp, an ordained Christian minister, was put on paid suspension last week for distributing the booklets.

"We are very upset about these false allegations against our religion," Fasihuddin told the Journal News in Tuesday editions. She said Clapp should be fired.

"She should be let go. And why is she being paid while she is suspended?"

The religious booklets characterize Muslims as worshipping an "idol" and devil called Allah, and the prophet Muhammad as a criminal and a "religious dictator." Allah is the Arabic word for God, and Muslims believe they worship the same God as Christians and Jews.

Rockland County Sheriff James Kralik said Clapp was placed on paid suspension last Thursday, and that the incident remained under investigation. He said questions remained as to Clapp's intent in distributing the materials. "As we learn more about it and gain a better understanding of it, we will change as necessary," he told the Journal News.

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1) Muslim group wants Rockland County jail chaplain fired