Mazen Asbahi started working as Obama’s campaign campaign's outreach coordinator on July 26 and resigned on Monday. The resignation letter he handed to the campaign team says that he resigned "to avoid distracting from Barack Obama's message of change."

In a letter he served on the board of the Dow Jones Islamic Index Fund for a few weeks, Asbahi said that he resigned as resigned "as I became aware of public allegations against another member of the board."

It is believed that the other board member during Asbahi's tenure in 2000 was Jamal Said, imam at a fundamentalist-controlled mosque in Illinois.

Last year, the Justice Department alleged that Said was unindicted co-conspirator in the racketeering trial last year of several alleged Hamas fundraisers.

Though Obama is Christian, the Internet has been ripe with rumors that Obama is Muslim. According to Asbahi, his involvement created "added sensitivities" between the campaign and the Muslim community, and he encouraged Muslims and Arab-Americans to get involved.

Asbahi’s campaign used to conduct programs to the community through its interfaith outreach program and the Muslim American outreach desk at the Democratic Party.

Obama’s team said that preparations are underway to find Asbahi’s replacement.

Source The Associated Press