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$50 Million Lawsuit Over Bad Online Date

Jen Chung

Published Jan 27, 2008

Modified Mar 7, 2008

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Jen Chung

Published Jan 27, 2008

Modified Mar 7, 2008

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Online dating is never easy, no matter what culture you're in. At least that's what is suggested by a woman's $50 million lawsuit against a Brooklyn imam involving name calling, damaged laptops and a relative in al Qaeda.

The Post reports stockbroker Cherine Allaithy met Tarek Youssoff Hasson Saleh, an imam at Oulel-Albab, on the Muslim Matrimonials Network (it's like MDate) last year. Allaithy says the pair dated for month until she refused his marriage proposal. She then dated another man, Bessem Elhajj, who Saleh allegedly defamed in Arab newspapers. After Allaithy and Elhajj broke up, things got messier when Allaithy confronted Saleh (at his mosque) to stop the articles:

[Saleh] told her she would be exposed next in the press, according to court papers.

In order to prevent her name from being smeared, she said, she ran into his bedroom, grabbed two laptops, and threw them in the sink.

Saleh responded by beating her up, she claims in court papers.

In another article referenced in the complaint, Saleh alleged she came to the mosque to threaten to have him charged with rape.

According to Allaithy's court claims, the sheik sent her an e-mail describing her as "a trashy and lustful woman, a weeping and cursed Jewish woman."

Allaithy says besides trying to clear her name, she's worried about being killed by al Qaeda, since Saleh had mentioned a relative in the terrorist group. The imam (who is named in the lawsuit with his mosque and some Arab newspapers) had criminal charges filed against Allaithy after the laptop incident; he denied the claims and told the Post he hasn't been in touch with his al Qaeda relative. As for Elhajj, he sounds relieved not to be involved, calling the imam "crazy" and Allaithy "stupid."

A married doctor was sued for lying about his marital status and luring women he met on Yahoo Personals into sexual relationships. And back in 2005, Jewish online dating site JDate appeared to attract many non-Jews.

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Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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