Wisam Sharieff, the founder of Imam and Quran Revolution, is facing a child pornography investigation

(RNS) – Imam Wisam Sharieff, an online Quran instructor for the educational nonprofit AlMaghrib Institute, has been charged with conspiracy to produce child pornography in a criminal complaint filed by the FBI.

FBI Special Agent Eric Salvador reported details of the allegations in an affidavit documented in Birmingham, Alabama, dated October 29, in which he alleged that a woman who was an online student of Sharieff’s said the instructor told her “that reaching an orgasm would help her mentally.” and let her communicate better with Allah,” the affidavit said.

The woman allegedly sent Sharieff videos of her and her minor daughter “performing sexual acts on themselves” so that he could “guide them and let them know how far they were progressing in their quest to get closer to Allah.” If true, the acts would constitute a federal crime.

The affidavit states that electronic devices and sexual toys were seized from the woman’s home, and that officers discovered a private chat on Telegram, an encrypted instant messaging app, that showed Sharieff had been sending explicit videos of himself. According to the affidavit, it also revealed that the mother had sent explicit videos of her child watching adult pornography.

The chat also reportedly included messages from Sharieff encouraging the mother to trust him with her secrets and asking when he could “work on the Quran” with her child.

Sharieff was reported to the Alabama Department of Human Resources on Oct. 15 by an individual who identified herself as Sharieff’s wife.

Sharieff has not made any public statements since the complaint was filed and attempts to reach him have not been returned.

In a message on Friday (November 1). on the social media platform The post further said that the institute had determined that the action violated its code of conduct and that Sharieff’s employment contract had been terminated.

Sharieff, who lives in Texas, is known for founding the AlMaghrib Institute Quran revolution program, a popular curriculum for learning Quran recitation that claims to have helped thousands of people. He is also the founder of Advocating a Quranic lifestyle, which offers to teach students about “personal development through a Quranic lifestyle – recitation, prayer and supplication – to strengthen the mind, body and spirit.”

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In one public statement On Monday, the AlMaghrib Institute said it was “shocked” by the allegations, calling it “shocking and sickening.” The statement clarified that the alleged communication between Sharieff and the woman took place via private chat, not on AlMaghrib’s education platform, and that the child was not a student at the institute.

The statement also noted that it has “zero tolerance” toward romantic relationships between faculty and students and that once the institute became aware of possible code of conduct violations, it undertook its own investigation. Although the institute “did not have access to law enforcement’s investigation,” it concluded that Sharieff had violated the institute’s rules and fired him.

“Our country’s justice system will now deal with Wisam Sharieff, and we ask Allah to bring comfort to the victims and healing to our community,” the statement said. “The religion of Allah is not dependent on any one individual, and the Quran Revolution program will continue as planned with our students.”

MuslimMatters, an online news outlet that had previously interviewed Sharieff and published transcripts of his lectures, published one statement On Tuesday, the outlet said it was “severing all ties” with him. MuslimMatters called the allegations a “serious violation” of ethical principles in the Quran and offered a list of resources on reporting and preventing abuse.

The Asiyah Women’s Center, an emergency center for victims of domestic violence serving Muslims, hosted a therapist-led Zoom event On Monday evening, community members can mourn together in light of the allegations. Sarah Sultan, an AlMaghrib instructor, reminded readers Instagram that one individual’s “heinous deeds and shortcomings” do not have the power to transcend their faith in Allah.

Other experts also joined in. In one Facebook postAbu Eesa, a senior instructor at AlMaghrib Institute, credited the organization for taking the allegations seriously and addressing them publicly. “I hope that this will be an example for such bodies in the future not to hesitate to act quickly and effectively and not to worry about public sentiment, but instead to care for the Deen of Allah and their responsibility for that.”

Ingrid Mattson, a leading Muslim scholar and former president of the Islamic Society of North America, posted wire on X noting that while spiritual abuse is shocking, it should no longer be surprising: “We have heard too many tragic reports of the abuse of children by those entrusted with raising them and those who teach them their faith. It is irresponsible to remain in a state of willful ignorance of these realities.”

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