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

FBI Special Agent Eric Salvador reported details of the allegations in an affidavit filed in Birmingham, Alabama on Oct. 29, in which he alleged that a woman who was Sharieff’s online student said the instructor told her “that touching an orgasm will help her spiritually. and enable him to communicate better with Allah,” according to the affidavit.

The woman sent Sharieff videos of herself and her minor daughter “performing sexual acts on themselves” so that he “could guide and tell him how far they have progressed in their quest to become closer to Allah “. If true, the acts would constitute a federal crime.

The affidavit says electronic devices and sex toys were seized from the woman’s residence and that officers discovered a private chat on Telegram, an encrypted instant messaging app, that indicated Sharieff had explicitly sent videos of himself. It also revealed that the mother sent explicit videos of her child watching adult pornography, according to the affidavit.

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

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

Sharieff has not made a public statement since the complaint was filed, and attempts to reach him have not been returned.

In a Friday (November 1) post. on social media platform X, the AlMaghrib Institute said it had been notified of “a serious violation of AlMaghrib Institute policy by Wisam Sharief.” The post went on to say that the institute determined the action violated its code of conduct and terminated Sharieff’s employment contract.

Sharieff, who lives in Texas, is known for creating the AlMaghrib Institute The Revolution of the Koran program, a popular curriculum for learning Quranic recitation that claims to have helped thousands of people. He is also the founder Upholding the Qur’anic lifestyle, which offers to teach students about “personal development through the Qur’anic lifestyle – recitation, prayer and supplication – to empower the mind, body and soul”.

One public statement On Monday, the AlMaghrib Institute said it was “appalled” by the allegations, which it called “confusing and outrageous”. The statement clarified that the alleged communications between Sharieff and the woman were conducted via private chat, not on AlMaghrib’s educational platform, and that the child was not a student at the institute.

The statement also noted that it has “zero tolerance” for romantic relationships between instructors and students, and that as soon as it was notified of possible violations of the code of conduct, the institute began its own investigation. Although the institute “did not have access to the law enforcement investigation,” it concluded that Sharieff violated institute rules and fired him.

“Our nation’s justice system will now deal with Wisam Sharief and we ask Allah to bring comfort to the victims and healing to our community,” the statement said. “Allah’s religion is not based on any individual, and the Quran Revolution program will continue with our students as scheduled.”

MuslimMatters, an online news service that previously interviewed Sharieff and published transcripts of his lectures, published a statement Tuesday saying the media had “ceased all association” with him. MuslimMatters called the allegations a “serious violation” of ethical principles in the Koran and provided a list of resources for reporting and preventing abuse.

Asiyah Women’s Center, an emergency domestic violence center serving Muslims, hosted a therapist-led Zoom event Monday night for community members to grieve together in light of the allegations. Sarah Sultan, an AlMaghrib instructor, reminded readers about Instagram that an individual’s “heinous actions and failures” have no power to replace their belief in Allah.

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

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