A North Texas imam known for running online Quranic educational programs was arrested on child pornography charges on October 30.

A spokesman for the US Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Alabama said The Dallas Morning News Imam Wisam Sharieff was arrested in Texas. Sharieff lives in Euless, according to public records.

A criminal complaint filed in an Alabama district court on Oct. 29 said Sharieff is charged with conspiracy to produce child pornography.

The news Sharieff could not be reached for comment.

A public defender assigned to Sharieff in Texas is no longer representing him now that his case has moved to Alabama. The court filing does not list an attorney for Sharieff, and a representative of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alabama where he is being prosecuted could not confirm whether he has a new attorney.

Here’s what you need to know about Sharieff and the allegations against him.

Sharieff was charged with encouraging someone to create child pornography

FBI Special Agent Eric Salvador alleged in an affidavit that Sharieff conspired to produce child pornography between September 27 and October 15.

According to the Oct. 29 affidavit, Sharieff told an Alabama student during training that “achieving an orgasm would help her spiritually and allow her to better communicate with Allah.”

The unidentified woman allegedly created videos of herself and her minor daughter – who she wanted to be “closer to Allah” – performing sexual acts on them, as well as videos of her daughter watching adult pornography. She then allegedly shared the content with Sharieff via Telegram, a messaging app, so that he could “guide them and let them know how far they have progressed in their quest to become closer to Allah.”

Sharieff was turned in by his wife, according to court documents

On Oct. 15, a person who identified herself as Sharieff’s wife contacted the Alabama Department of Human Resources after seeing the videos and recognizing the woman and her daughter, according to the affidavit.

Authorities obtained a search warrant and seized electronic devices and sex toys from the woman’s home.

Sharieff was a professor at the AlMaghrib Institute

Sharieff was an online instructor for the nonprofit educational institute AlMaghrib, which lists its primary address in Houston. The institute offers both in-person and online courses and seminars on Islam and is one of the largest Islamic education institutes in the US.

On November 4, the AlMaghrib Institute shared a long statement about X addressing Sharieff’s arrest.

“The AlMaghrib Institute is horrified by the news of the criminal charge against Wisam Sharieff,” according to the statement. “This criminal charge against Wisam Shariff is a disturbing and upsetting experience for his students as well as the AlMaghrib Institute staff and instructors who worked with him.”

The institute also said no law enforcement authorities ever contacted them about Sharieff before the criminal complaint was filed.

Sharieff founded an online Quran learning program

Sharieff is described as the founder and lead teacher of the AlMaghrib Institute’s online Quran learning program, Quran Revolution, in a October archive of that program’s website.

Quran Revolution helps students to learn and be able to recite the Quran. The program has its own app and includes videos, live interactive classes, weekly Quran reading circles and office hours.

In it November 4 X postThe AlMaghrib Institute said it would continue to use the Revolution Quran. “Allah’s religion is not based on any individual, and the Quran Revolution program will continue with our students as scheduled,” according to the post. The page for Quran Revolution on the institute’s website appeared to be down since November 12.

The institute did not immediately respond to questions about the upcoming program on Monday.

Sharieff founded an institute for learning the Koran

Sharieff also founded Advocating Quranic Lifestyle in 2012, according to that institute. website. “We believe that transforming your spiritual practices, your physical body, and your emotional state and awakening your conscious intellect is what leads to spirit-based evolution,” the program says on its website. The institute says it has worked with 25,000 students.

Koranic Lifestyle Support did not immediately respond to emailed questions on Monday.

Adrian Ashford covers faith and religion in North Texas for The Dallas Morning News through a partnership with Report for America. Writer Alex Nguyen contributed to this report.