The David Project, a non-profit educational initiative, today called upon the Boston Redevelopment Authority ("BRA") and the Islamic Society of Boston to reveal who paid the expenses for BRA Deputy Director Muhammad Ali-Salaam's fundraising trips to the Middle East. Mr. Ali-Salaam, a public employee, was asked by the Islamic Society to travel to the Middle East to help it raise funds for the Islamic Society's mosque project. Deputy Director Ali-Salaam, the official responsible for overseeing the BRA's sale of publicly-owned property to the Islamic Society for construction of a mosque and Islamic cultural center, has also been identified by the Islamic Society as one of its principal fundraisers in the Middle East for the mosque project, even as he was managing the sale of the public asset to the Islamic Society at a price dramatically below fair market value.

"The public integrity and conflict-of-interest concerns raised by Mr. Ali-Salaam's apparent dual role in this transaction are obvious," said Charles Jacobs, President of The David Project. "At least one of Mr. Ali-Salaam's trips for the Islamic Society came shortly before the Islamic Society was permitted to acquire public land from the BRA at a 91 percent discount from market value. The refusal by either the BRA or the Islamic Society to address these concerns is extremely disturbing to anyone who cares about good government and the accountability of public servants and public agencies."

Public records show that in December 1999 the Islamic Society of Boston paid Mr. Ali-Salaam's airfare for a 10-day trip to the United Arab Emirates to help it raise money to purchase the public property from the BRA and to develop the mosque on the property. However, the BRA and the Islamic Society have refused to disclose who paid for the other costs of the trip, including hotels, restaurants, entertainment and other expenses. The BRA and Islamic Society have also refused to identify who hosted the BRA official during this trip and the Middle Eastern donors with whom he met for the purpose of soliciting funds on behalf of the Islamic Society.

"A 10-day stay in the United Arab Emirates is not inexpensive," said Jacobs of the David Project. "The costs of hotels, restaurants and other expenses were likely in the thousands of dollars. The public is entitled to know who paid for the BRA Deputy Director to travel to the Middle East to raise money for the Islamic Society. The public is also entitled to know who the Middle Eastern donors are from whom the BRA Deputy Director solicited money on behalf of the Islamic Society while on the public payroll."...