(RNS) — Imam Wisam Sharieff, an online Quranic instructor for the educational nonprofit AlMaghrib Institute, has been accused in a criminal complaint filed by the FBI of conspiracy to produce child pornography.
FBI special agent Eric Salvador reported details of the allegations in a sworn affidavit documented in Birmingham, Alabama, dated Oct. 29, alleging that a woman who was an online student of Sharieff’s said the instructor told her “that achieving an orgasm would help her spiritually and allow her to communicate with Allah better,” according to the affidavit.
The woman reportedly sent Sharieff videos of herself and her minor daughter “performing sexual acts on themselves” so he “could guide them and let them know how far they were progressing on their quest to become closer to Allah.” If true, the acts would constitute a federal crime.
The affidavit says that electronic devices and sexual 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 sent explicit videos of himself. It also revealed that the mother sent explicit videos of her child viewing adult pornography, according to the affadavit.
The ch …