Chicago Area Police Cancel Training Over Charges of Islamophobia

Illinois law enforcement officials aren't likely to see any anti-terrorism training sessions with a Florida-based instructor in the near future after suburban Chicago authorities canceled a class over objections from an advocacy group claiming the trainer and his teachings are anti-Muslim, the Associated Press reports.

The instructor — Sam Kharoba of the Cape Coral, Fla.-based Counter Terrorism Operations Center — has faced similar scrutiny elsewhere and a scheduled Monday class in the suburb of Lombard had prompted renewed concerns from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Village officials then scrapped the class, called "Islamic Awareness as a Counter-Terrorist Strategy." The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board later said Kharoba's teachings are under review.

Kharoba dismissed the criticism of his work and raised questions about CAIR's history. The group's "statements are manufactured distractions designed to shift blame onto the law enforcement agencies that are protecting the American people," Kharoba said in an emailed statement to the AP.