Ahmed Rehab and Muslim leaders talk about local Imam’s dismissal from Illinois State Police chaplaincy program due to Islamophobic innuendo

Chicago – The Illinois State Police has revoked the appointment of a prominent cleric to become the department’s first Muslim chaplain.

The Illinois State Police Department currently has 37 chaplains or volunteer clergy who provide spiritual support for troopers, other employees and their families. Most are Christian; some are Jewish; and until last December, none was Muslim.

Islamic rights advocates say there’s been a rise in the number of threats directed at local Muslims. And some of these threats are being delivered right to their doors. CBS 2’s Mike Puccinelli reports.

When Ahmed Rehab walks up to his suburban home these days it’s with a new sense of awareness. That’s because of what he found waiting for him in his mailbox just a few days ago, a postmarked typewritten hate-filled letter complete with a death threat.