Fatih Seferagic Investigation Report

Facing Abuse in Community Environments In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

FACE REPORT Report Classification: PUBLIC Subject: Fatih Seferagic Former Affiliations: Human Appeal - UK, Muslim Aid USA (Both organizations severed ties with Seferagic upon public outcries in the U.S. and the U.K.; their statements are linked above.)

Violations: Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault, Sexual Assault, Sexual Battery, Physical Abuse, Misappropriation of Funds, Spiritual Abuse, Workplace Misconduct, Reckless Transmission of a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Investigation Time Frame: July 10, 2020 - August 31, 2021 Publish Date: August 31, 2021 Report Compilation Investigator and Principal Editor: Alia Salem - Founder & Executive Director Co-Investigator and Author: Sara Bawany, LCSW, CCM - Staff Member Review & Edits Sadiyah Bashir - Staff Member Waheeda Saif, LMHC - Board Chair Ramon Mejía - Board Secretary Abida Minhas, LPC-S - Board Member Suhailah Waheed - Board Member Aisha U-Kiu, Esq. - Board Member Muhammad Ali - FACE Advisor Usama Malik, M. Div - FACE Advisor Lameesah Soeker - FACE Partner

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TABLE OF CONTENTS CASE SUMMARY Subject Background Primary Allegations Additional Allegations

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INVESTIGATION BACKGROUND AND ALLEGATIONS Background Overview Investigation Summary Key Limitations For Further Consideration

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PRIMARY FINDINGS

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ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

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TIMELINE OF EVENTS*

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INVESTIGATION NARRATIVE DETAIL

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RISK MITIGATION

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SUBJECT RESPONSE

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RECOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUSION

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I.

CASE SUMMARY Subject Background This investigation relates to allegations made against Fatih Seferagic, also known by his legal name Mehmed Elfatih Seferagic, hereinafter known as “Subject.” Subject is a well-known international Qur’an reciter who completed his Hifdh1 studies at the Islamic Society of Baltimore from approximately 2005-2010. Subject and his family then moved to Dallas, Texas where he was in the first graduating class of Bayyinah Institute’s DREAM program from 2010-2011. Subject then moved to Houston, Texas with his family and was there from approximately 2011-2014. In March 2014, he secured a paid position at AlHuda Foundation in Fishers, Indiana until his contract was abruptly terminated in late 2015. Subject moved back to Houston, Texas, and then moved to Stilwell, Kansas in approximately June 2017 and was there until at least June 2018. Subject moved to Kuwait in January 2019.

Throughout this time, Subject toured internationally and contracted with multiple Islamic institutions and organizations to speak, recite Qur’an, and teach. On July 8, 2020, FACE became aware of a public outcry regarding multiple serious allegations of sexual assault against Subject. FACE was contacted by community leaders from Kuwait, where Subject was still residing, seeking assistance on how to proceed. At their request, FACE sent a letter to the Ministry of Awqaf in Kuwait. Subject left Kuwait shortly afterwards.

Primary Allegations 2 1. Allegation #1 - Subject deliberately coerced3 and forced 3 victims to ingest an illegal, mind-altering drug and/or controlled substance. Subject then raped the victims, who were unable to provide consent.

2. Allegation #2 - Subject forced sexual acts on 3 additional victims, including vaginal penetration, digital penetration4, groping and fondling.

3. Allegation #3 - Subject made unwanted physical advances on 2 additional victims.

4. Allegation #4 - Subject hit, slapped, kicked, and shoved 3 victims.

Additional Allegations 5. Allegation #5 - Subject took money under false pretenses and in exchange for teaching Qur’an but did not render the services. Subject also borrowed a large sum of money, expressly stating his intent to return it multiple times, but did not do so.

6. Allegation #6 - Subject attempted to comfort a victim whom he had completed a drug-facilitated sexual assault on with his own Qur’an recitation.

7. Allegation #7 - Subject consistently conducted himself in a manner that was a violation of his trust and position of leadership during his speaking engagements, classes he was teaching, and tours he was participating in.

8. Allegation #8 - Subject transmitted Human Papillomavirus (HPV 16) to at least 2 victims, one of whom was diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer as a result.

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Hifdh: the memorization of the Holy Qur’an ​“Primary Allegations” include what was initially reported to FACE, while “Additional Allegations” include what was uncovered through the course of the investigation.

3 Coercion: the use of express or implied threats of violence or reprisal, or other intimidating behavior that puts a person in immediate fear of the consequences in order to compel that person to act against his or her will. Read more here.

4 Digital Penetration: refers to the use of the digits, that is, the fingers, the thumbs or the toes to sexually penetrate the vagina or anus of a person.

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II.

INVESTIGATION BACKGROUND AND ALLEGATIONS Background Overview The scope of FACE’s investigation includes events that occurred between June 2011 - June 2018, the duration of the alleged misconduct. Additional details regarding key facts of the investigation, procedures performed, and any limitations, are as follows:

Investigation Summary 1. Dates of Investigation: a. 07/10/2020 - 08/31/2021: 2. Evidentiary Support a. In-person/Phone i.

58 interviews and formal statements b. Document Review i.

State records ii.

Travel documents iii.

Medical records iv.

Written public statements c. Multimedia5 Review i.

Photos ii.

Text messages iii.

Recordings 3. Interviews: FACE conducted 58 interviews of relevant individuals including victims, sources, community leaders, and community members where Subject was based. FACE attempted to contact Subject through multiple different avenues but Subject did not respond to our request for comment.

Key Limitations On July 8, 2020, FACE was made aware of a public outcry alleging that Subject had sexually assaulted multiple victims. This prompted several more victims and sources to come forward and share their experiences online. While FACE typically refrains from publicly announcing our involvement in any investigation, this was the first time since our founding that we felt compelled to do so simply because of the overwhelming numbers of victim statements being disseminated online. A public announcement in this specific situation allowed victims and community members with information to quickly and easily know where to submit their allegations and/or corroborating evidence so that it could be captured and organized.

The entirety of the 13-month investigation took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing FACE from traveling to relevant locations to obtain statements, interviews, and evidentiary support, as a part of our investigation process. FACE had also plunged into austerity measures as a result of the downturn in funding.

These challenges added significant obstacles to pursuing this investigation among the many others FACE has on our docket.

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All audio and video recordings provided or obtained were done so lawfully in accordance with state recording laws.

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FACE interviewed and collected statements from 12 victims and 36 sources. Some of the victims FACE spoke with expressed a high level of trauma6 from their experiences and of Subject’s potential for retaliation. As a result, after initially coming forward, some victims no longer wished to participate. It was later reported to FACE that Subject and his family began contacting, threatening, and pressuring some of the victims in an attempt to silence them. Additionally, FACE was provided the names of 4 additional victims; however, none of these victims responded to FACE’s request for an interview.

Furthermore, FACE encountered numerous individuals in our attempts to communicate with official representatives of MAS Katy in Houston, Texas, who insisted that Subject was never affiliated with them, despite it being publicly known that Subject had served there in a formal capacity and was allegedly fired.

When sources, who were aware of his affiliation with MAS Katy, were asked why administrators might misrepresent those facts, they cited concerns about past FBI scrutiny and political sensitivities as a possibility for their lack of cooperation.

Finally, it took FACE over a year to make contact with representatives of AlHuda Foundation in Fishers, Indiana. It was only when third parties were approached that FACE was able to obtain official statements, which were limited in scope and did not match first hand accounts. FACE was informed that an agreement, protected by an NDA7, was reached with Subject when AlHuda Foundation abruptly terminated his contract months prior to its completion, therefore limiting the scope of what could be disclosed.

For Further Consideration There were a number of substantiated reports made that cover the timeframe when Subject was at the Islamic Society of Baltimore. During this time, he displayed a notable level of hypersexualized8 behavior that some students, who FACE interviewed, felt violated by. These incidents will not be detailed in this report as Subject was a minor, between 8-15 years old; an age that falls within both Islamic and secular definitions for adolescence. Lastly, five of the substantiated allegations included in this report, are from when Subject was 16-17 years old. These are included despite him being a minor according to secular definitions, due to the severity of the abuse, and because they establish a longer pattern of abuse which continued into his adulthood.

III.

PRIMARY FINDINGS

1. Allegation #1: Subject deliberately coerced and forced 3 victims to ingest an illegal, mind-altering drug and/or controlled substance. Subject then raped the victims, who were unable to provide consent. This allegation is SUBSTANTIATED. a. Violation: Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault 9 b. Evidentiary support: i. Evidentiary support #1 includes corroborating statements by 3 victims and 4 sources. 2 of those sources were able to verify the victims’ accounts through real-time interactions, including via Facetime, while one of the victims was attempting to leave the location of the assault. 2 other sources verified Subject’s frequent use of MDMA, more commonly

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Trauma: According to the American Psychological Association, trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.

7 NDA: An acronym for Nondisclosure Agreement 8 Hypersexualized: exhibiting unusual or excessive concern with or indulgence in sexual activity 9 Drug-Faciliated Sexual Assault: According to RAINN, the definition of drug-facilitated sexual assault is to when alcohol or drugs are used to compromise an individual's ability to consent to sexual activity. See the full article here.

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known by its slang term as ecstasy10, which he forced one victim to ingest. One source also verified his propensity to adulterate drinks with controlled or illegal substances. ii. Evidentiary support #2 includes photos and screenshots between the victims, corroborating sources, and Subject, verifying their communications and of Subject admitting to his use of MDMA/ecstasy. iii. Evidentiary support #3 includes a victim’s plane ticket to visit Subject and his family, corroborating the date the assault took place. iv. Evidentiary support #4 includes direct quotes the victims independently recounted from their interactions with Subject that established a pattern of behavior not only involving when he drugged and raped them, and then terminated the relationship abruptly, but also down to the exact words he used throughout the abuse.

2. Allegation #2: Subject forced sexual acts on 3 additional victims, including vaginal penetration, digital penetration (see footnote 4), and violent groping and fondling. This allegation is SUBSTANTIATED. a. Violation: Sexual Assault 11 b. Evidentiary support: i. Evidentiary support #1 includes corroborating statements by 3 victims and 5 sources, who were each told by the victims about the abuse soon after it happened. One of the victims’ statements was redacted due to safety concerns; thus, the narrative detail is not included in this report. ii. Evidentiary support #2 includes photos and screenshots establishing communications between the victims and Subject.

3. Allegation #3: Subject made unwanted physical advances on 2 additional victims. This allegation is SUBSTANTIATED. a. Violation: Sexual Battery12 b. Evidentiary support: i. Evidentiary support #1 includes corroborating statements by 2 victims and 2 sources. Of the 2 victims, one declined to participate beyond her statement; thus, her narrative detail was excluded. For the second victim, one source witnessed the incident and the second source verified Subject’s inappropriate conduct and his location during the incident. ii. Evidentiary support #2 includes a video posted online with Subject in it, verifying his location during the time of the incident.

4. Allegation #4: Subject hit, slapped, kicked, and shoved 3 victims. This allegation is SUBSTANTIATED. a. Violation: Physical Abuse 13 b. Evidentiary support: i. Evidentiary support #1 includes corroborating statements by 2 victims who experienced this abuse and 2 sources who witnessed Subject abusing a third victim first hand. The narrative details were redacted from this report.

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MDMA is the formal abbreviation for the drug, more commonly known by its street name as ecstasy: Read more here.

Sexual Assault: According to RAINN, sexual contact or behavior that occurs without explicit consent of the victim. Some forms of sexual assault include: attempted rape, fondling or unwanted sexual touching, forcing a victim to perform sexual acts such as oral sex or penetrating the perpetrator’s body, and penetration of the victim’s body (also known as rape).

12 Sexual Battery: According to US Legal, an unwanted form of contact with an intimate part of the body that is made for purposes of sexual arousal, gratification or abuse. Sexual battery may occur whether the victim is clothed or not.

13 Physical Abuse: Any intentional act causing injury or trauma to another person by way of bodily contact 11

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IV.

ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

5. Allegation #5: Subject collected money under false pretenses and in exchange for teaching Qur’an but did not render the services. Subject also borrowed a large sum of money, expressly stating his intent to return it multiple times, but did not do so. This allegation is SUBSTANTIATED. a. Violation: Misappropriation of Funds b. Evidentiary support: i. Evidentiary support #1 includes statements by 1 victim and 3 primary sources. Subject also admitted his misconduct directly to one of the sources. ii. Evidentiary support #2 includes text messages between the victim and Subject corroborating the existence of a transaction with intent for Subject to repay the amount. iii. Evidentiary support #3 includes documented crowdfunding pages as described by the sources that were verified as being created by Subject.

6. Allegation #6: Subject attempted to comfort a victim whom he had completed a drug-facilitated sexual assault on with his own Qur’an recitation. This allegation is SUBSTANTIATED. a. Violation: Spiritual Abuse 14 b. Evidentiary support: i. Evidentiary support #1 includes a statement by 1 victim and 1 source. The victim disclosed the information to the source immediately while the victim was attempting to leave the location of the assault.

7. Allegation #7: Subject consistently conducted himself in a manner that was a violation of his trust and position of leadership during his speaking engagements, classes he was teaching, and tours he was participating in. This allegation is SUBSTANTIATED. a. Violation: Workplace Misconduct15 b. Evidentiary support: i. Evidentiary support #1 includes corroborating statements by 7 independent sources, all but one of whom are community leaders. These individuals worked with Subject in a close capacity, roomed with him, entrusted him with their belongings, and directly witnessed his behavior. They were separately able to establish a pattern of misconduct that deemed him unfit to hold a position of leadership outside of the aforementioned allegations already substantiated.

8. Allegation #8: Subject transmitted Human Papillomavirus (HPV 16) to at least 2 victims, one of whom was diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer16 as a result. This allegation is SUBSTANTIATED. a. Violation: Reckless Transmission of an STD b. Evidentiary support: i. Evidentiary support #1 includes the formal statements of 2 victims. ii. Evidentiary support #2 includes certified medical records documenting the STD near the date the assaults took place.

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Spiritual Abuse: Using religion to manipulate, control and bully through the guise of religion, religious principles or claims to spirituality 15 Workplace Misconduct: engaging in a neglectful oversight of one’s ethical and workplace duties, whether intentionally or purposefully, which disrupts the flow of the workday, violates the workplace codes of conduct, and in extreme cases, includes harassing, abusing or directly causing harm to subordinates, supervisees, or employees.

16 Cervical cancer: HPV is a sexually-transmitted disease. High-risk HPVs can cause several types of cancer. Two of these, HPV16 and HPV18, are responsible for most HPV-related cancers. Read more here.

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V.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS* Date June 2011 Fall 2011 Apr 2012 July-Aug 2012 Fall 2012 March 1, 2013 Spring 2013 Aug 14, 2013 Mar 2014 Feb 2015 Late 2015 May 6, 2017 May 12, 2017 June 28, 2017 Apr 24, 2018 June 7, 2018 Summer 2018 July 8, 2020 July 10, 2020 July 12, 2020 April 2021 July 18, 2021

Description Subject commits sexual battery of Victim 1 Subject digitally penetrates and forces oral sex with Victim 2 Subject commits a drug-facilitated sexual assault of Victim 3 Subject borrows large sum of money from Victim 4 with a promise to return it, but after several months, cuts off all communication with Victim 4 Subject sexually assaults Victim 5 Subject turns 18 Subject commits a drug-facilitated sexual assault of Victim 6 Subject marries first wife Subject publicly announces move to Fishers, Indiana to work at AlHuda Foundation Subject publicly announces divorce from first wife Subject’s contract is abruptly terminated from AlHuda Foundation before completion Subject commits a drug-facilitated sexual assault of Victim 7 Future second wife and family visit Subject in Houston for purposes of marriage Subject and second wife have their nikkah17 Subject and second wife have their wedding reception Subject and second wife are divorced Subject marries third wife Public outcry is made by several victims and first hand sources about Subject’s abuse FACE opens investigation Muslim Aid USA publicly announces the termination of their relationship with Subject Public outcry takes place in South Africa after Subject announces his Ramadan tour Human Appeal - UK announces the termination of their relationship with Subject after another public outcry after Subject announced his UK tour for Dhul-Hijjah18

*Not all instances of abuse were able to be delineated in the timeline due to safety concerns with the associated victims. Abuses detailed in this report, either within the Primary Findings section or Investigation Narrative Detail section, take place from 2011 all the way through 2018.

VI. INVESTIGATION NARRATIVE DETAIL Victim 1 - Sexual Battery: In 2010, Subject joined the first class of Bayyinah Institute’s Dream Program, graduating in June 2011 at the age of 16. An 18-year-old young woman, whose family was friends with Subject’s family, hereinafter referred to as Victim 1, attended his graduation with her family at Subject’s invitation. The following details were reported to FACE: ● Victim 1 and her family members recall how Subject had continually expressed interest in her for marriage, although she was older than him and continued to reiterate that she was not interested. ● While Subject and the families were in their respective hotel rooms, Subject barged into Victim 1’s room while she did not have her hijab on, picked her up, threw her on the bed, and pinned her down with his body. Subject commented on Victim 1’s hair while he had her pinned down. ● Victim 1’s sister heard the commotion and ran out of the bathroom and shouted. Subject laughed and left the room.

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Nikkah: the Arabic term for an Islamically legal marriage Dhul Hijjah - the last month in the Islamic calendar where the Hajj pilgrimage takes place along with Eid ul-Adha 8

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During the next several days after the incident, while the families were driving together in one car, Subject continued to make advances toward Victim 1, maneuvering himself to sit next to her, brushing his leg and arm up against hers, inching closer to her, and trying to hold her hand.

Victim 1 continued to reiterate to Subject that she didn’t appreciate his behavior and that she was not interested in any kind of romantic relationship. Victim 1 eventually cut ties with Subject.

Victim 2 - Sexual Assault: In 2011, Subject, 16 years old at the time, began to regularly engage with a 14-year-old girl, hereinafter known as Victim 2. The following was reported to FACE: ● After a conference, a group of students were spending time in the trailers on the masjid property.

Eventually, Victim 2 and Subject were left alone and Subject approached Victim 2 and kissed her. ● Victim 2 asked what he was doing, and Subject stated that she was cute and he was interested in her.

Subject received a text message and left the trailer shortly thereafter. ● The same year on the night before Eid, Victim 2 went to the mall to shop for Eid clothes with several friends, including Subject. The other friends split up and Victim 2 and Subject were left alone. ● Victim 2 picked out clothes at a department store and went to the dressing room to change. ● Subject followed Victim 2 into the dressing room and started kissing her and attempting to take her pants off. Victim 2 was shocked and began crying, telling him to stop. ● Subject forced his hand into Victim 2’s vagina and digitally penetrated her with his finger. ● Subject told Victim 2 it was okay and normal to be scared and nervous. It was at this point Subject forced Victim 2 to perform oral sex on him. She told him she was uncomfortable and didn’t want to but Subject forced his erect penis into her mouth and held her head in that position. Victim 2 was still crying but Subject continued to force her. ● Some patrons of the department store in the stall next to them heard the commotion and brought over an employee, who knocked on the door and asked them to leave. ● Subject later told people in their friend group that Victim 2 and him had “made out and gone further” causing many of her friends to end their friendship with her, calling her a “slut” and a “whore.” ● Victim 2 felt compelled to pursue a relationship with Subject in order to justify what had happened (a common trauma response among sexual assault victims19) and continued to keep contact with Subject. ● Victim 2 reiterated to Subject later that what had happened made her uncomfortable and anxious and Subject attempted to pressure her into doing it again. ● Subject later started harassing and bullying Victim 2 by verbally degrading her, sending her photos of his genitals, and asking her to masturbate over the phone while he masturbated. When she blocked him through her phone and through Facebook, he began to send her explicit photos via email. ● After Subject made it clear that his only motive in communicating with her was to attempt sexual gratification, Victim 2 cut all ties with Subject and began to see a therapist to process the trauma.

Victim 3 - Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault: In April 2012, Subject, 17 years old at the time, reportedly obtained permission from a 17-year-old young woman’s father to speak with her for the intention of marriage.

The woman, hereinafter referred to as Victim 3, was in a severe car accident some weeks prior to the interaction and was physically injured with two contusions and two broken ribs, and was taking hydrocodone 20 for the pain. The two began communicating through text messages and phone calls. At one point, Victim 3’s phone broke and Subject became upset when he couldn’t reach her for a period less than 24 hours. Subject then arranged for a replacement phone and instructed Victim 3 to meet him to obtain it. Victim 3 and Subject were speaking in Subject’s van when the following list of transgressions were reported to have occurred:

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Staying friends with an assailant is a common trauma response. This phenomenon is explained here.

Hydrocodone: an opioid used to treat severe pain of a prolonged duration. Hydrocodone is a controlled substance - meaning a drug or other substance that is tightly controlled by the government because it may be abused or cause addiction.

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Subject attempted to engage in a sexually explicit conversation, stating that he needed to “teach” Victim 3 how to perform, and when Victim 3 expressed verbal discomfort, Subject’s demeanor changed, creating a more compassionate environment where she lowered her guard.

Subject offered to hug Victim 3 to make up for scaring her. When she agreed, he did so and then manipulated her body onto the floor of the van which prompted her to shout in pain from her injuries.

Subject pressured Victim 3 into taking a double dose of the hydrocodone she was prescribed, saying she “would need it.” Victim 3 relented out of pain and fear.

Once he had forced himself on top of her, Subject said, “This is going to hurt, but you’re going to learn to like it,” and then proceeded to rape her through vaginal penetration.

Victim 3 screamed and cried. Subject reportedly expressed confusion stating that he didn’t understand why she was crying and asking why she “didn’t like this.”

Afterwards, Subject got out a box of Plan B pills from the glove compartment of his van and told her she would need them. This detail could indicate that this was a premeditated act of rape.

Victim 3’s stitches in her ribs opened as a result of the assault, leaving her with significant injuries.

Victim 3 called a friend in the medical field to help her close the wound.

Subject pressured her not to tell her friend what had happened, and then smashed her old phone on the ground, saying she would not need it anymore.

The next day, Victim 3 called Subject and told him that what he did was not okay, and Subject reportedly said to her, “Keep the new phone, it is trash like you and you didn’t satisfy me. I’ve had girls who were less and they still did better.”

Afterwards, Subject coerced Victim 3 into staying silent about her experience by threatening to “ruin the credibility of her parents,” who were well known community leaders.

Victim 4 - Misappropriation of Funds: In Ramadan of 2012, between July-August, Subject was contracted to lead Taraweeh21 prayers at a masjid in Edmonton, Alberta. A male volunteer at the masjid, hereinafter known as Victim 4, was tasked with picking up Subject from the airport and providing support to him throughout the summer. The following was reported to FACE: ● Subject had requested Victim 4 to drive him to the store to buy something he needed. When Subject’s card declined, he requested to borrow $600 from Victim 4 to make the purchase and promised to pay him back. Victim 4 agreed out of a sense of obligation to support Subject during his time there. ● Victim 4 followed up for many months but Subject ultimately blocked Victim 4 from being able to contact him, thus never paying Victim 4 back.

Victim 5 - Sexual Assault: In the Fall of 2012, Subject, 17 years old at the time, was invited to a high school’s Muslim Student Association (MSA) as a guest speaker to give the Friday khutbah22. One of the individuals present was a 15-year-old girl, hereinafter known as Victim 5. Subject approached her afterwards when they were all chatting as a group, requesting her number and Instagram handle. Subject told Victim 5 he wanted to meet with her to talk about community projects that she could be more involved in. Victim 5 was new to the school and to the area and was hoping to make friends and get involved, so she obliged. The following was reported to FACE: ● The day after the khutbah at the high school, Subject picked up Victim 5 in his car. Subject took her to the rooftop of a parking garage instead of the restaurant they planned to meet at. Victim 5 was confused as to why they were there and Subject stated that he wanted to show her the view of the city. ● Victim 5 asked Subject if they were going to the restaurant. Subject said “no” and stated that the “romantic” view was “making him feel some type of way physically” towards her.

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Taraweeh: the night prayers performed in congregation during the holy month of Ramadan Khutbah: an Arabic term for the sermon preached by an imam in a masjid at the time of the Friday noon prayer 10

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Subject began forcefully kissing Victim 5, groping her breasts to the point of leaving finger marks and bruises on her chest and breasts, and attempting to rip her clothes off, even though she expressly stated multiple times that he was hurting her and that she didn’t want to do this.

Subject tried to force himself on top of Victim 5 in the passenger seat and she was able to push him off. Victim 5 tried to redirect him as calmly as possible and said they should go eat at the restaurant.

Subject told her, “This is how love is expressed and the pain is something you should feel good about because it makes me feel good.”

While being as amicable as possible in the hopes she could deescalate Subject’s aggression, Victim 5 again tried asking if they could go eat dinner because she was hungry.

During dinner, Subject continued to touch Victim 5 inappropriately under the table, at which point Victim 5 pretended to receive a text from a relative asking her to come home immediately. Subject took her home and dropped her off. Victim 5 then cut off all contact with Subject afterwards.

Victim 5 stated she never went back to MSA events after the assault and began to question her identity and worth as a Muslim woman.

Source 1, 2, and 3 - Misappropriation of Funds: FACE received 3 separate formal statements, completely independent of one another, of sources with first hand knowledge of: ● Subject offering his services in teaching Qur’an to children and older students, collecting payment in advance, yet failing to show up to teach and never returning the money. ● Subject crowdfunding to raise money for his studies and projects but using it for personal expenses.

Victim 6 - Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault: In approximately February 2013, Subject, now 18 years old, approached a 19-year-old young woman who was a customer at his place of employment, hereinafter known as Victim 6. The following was reported to FACE: ● Subject added Victim 6 on Facebook and messaged her, asking her to spend time alone with him and smoke hookah with him, which she refused. Subject continued to pressure Victim 6 saying that she was 19 and her family was “treating her like she was 15.” ● A few months later, Subject contacted Victim 6 again and let her know that he was teaching Qur’an to some of her relatives. They began conversing and Subject again pressured her to spend time with him. ● Victim 6, relenting from the constant pressure she felt from Subject, invited him over after school while her parents were not home. Subject asked to see her hair and told her he wanted to marry her. ● Victim 6 brought them both sodas and then left the room to change out of her school clothes. ● When Victim 6 returned, she was sitting with Subject, who told her that he was “not the guy everyone thought he was,” and that he was a hafidh23 but he smoked marijuana and went to strip clubs. Subject had a bag of marijuana in his pocket and asked Victim 6 to smoke with him. She declined. ● Victim 6 recalls that in the middle of the conversation, her body was suddenly immobilized and she was unable24 to move. ● Subject maneuvered on top of her and proceeded to rape her through vaginal penetration, with Victim 6 unable to give consent, speak, or move, although she was aware of what was happening. ● Subject then left her home, and when Victim 6 was finally able to regain mobility, she contacted Subject. Subject told her that if she shared with anyone what had happened that day, he could prove that it was her fault that she invited him over because her parents weren’t home, and then stated to her, “Don’t message me again. You are not worth my time or attention.” ● Victim 6 states she cannot prove that Subject spiked her soda that she had in the room with her, but believes her immobilization and inability to resist or even react while Subject raped her confirms she ingested a substance without her knowledge or consent.

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Hafidh: one who has memorized the Holy Qur’an While “freezing” is a common trauma response in the face of danger, the distinction here is that at the time Victim 6 experienced the immobilization, there was only a casual conversation occurring without any reason for concern.

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Source 4, 5, and 6 - Workplace Misconduct: Subject secured a paid position as a religious leader and Qur’an teacher at AlHuda Foundation in Fishers, Indiana in March 2014. The hiring was made despite vehement objections from some board members who expressed reservations regarding his age, maturity level, and lack of experience. His duties included teaching Qur’an to youth, giving khutbahs, giving lectures, and leading Taraweeh prayers. However, his contract was terminated early and he was given a severance package that paid the remainder of his contract. According to the masjid representative FACE spoke with who oversaw the contract termination, Subject was let go for his general incompetence in the position and when questioned as to whether or not Subject exhibited misconduct that would result in the termination, the representative insisted he would never cover up something like that and that it was just incompetence. FACE requested a copy of the agreement made but the representative did not provide it, citing an NDA that had been put in place at the time of the contract termination.

However, another source in Fishers, Indiana that FACE spoke to, who had first hand knowledge of the situation, explained that the board decided that Subject had to be let go immediately, was asked to leave the entire area, and that they signed an agreement with Subject to not disclose the actual circumstances of the contract termination. The source reported that some of the youth under Subject’s tutelage, who he facilitated the use of drugs for (detailed below), were the children of prominent leaders and they didn’t want their children to be exposed. For this reason, there was no legal action taken, nor were there more transparent accountability measures pursued. The following details on workplace misconduct were reported to FACE: ● Subject facilitated the ability for students who were under his tutelage, including minors, to smoke marijuana at his apartment with him. ● Subject showed lewd images of women, who he claimed to be in an intimate relationship with, to students under his tutelage or trust. ● Subject openly and casually discussed with the youth that he had premarital relationships with multiple women. ● Subject did not possess the necessary qualifications to teach students Qur’an, was neglectful in his duties, and was reported to leave the students unattended frequently.

Victim 7 - Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault, Spiritual Abuse: In April 2017, Subject reached out to a 22-year-old young woman, hereinafter known as Victim 7, for the purposes of marriage, at which point they began communicating. The following was reported to FACE: ● During their courtship, Subject told Victim 7 that he smoked marijuana and that he was “a regular dude . . . not some shareef 25 kid,” echoing similar words he stated to Victim 6. ○ From this, we derive a pattern where Subject attempts to distance himself from his position as a community leader. ● Subject was persistent about meeting and getting married because he was going overseas in Ramadan to lead Taraweeh prayers. Victim 7 told Subject she wanted to “do things the halal way.” ● On May 6, 2017, Victim 7 went to Houston with the intention to meet Subject and his family to move forward with the engagement. Subject had 3 cats at the time and Victim 7, who was highly allergic, began sneezing. Subject offered to give Victim 7 allergy medication. Victim 7 asked Subject if it was Benadryl and he confirmed that it was. Victim 7 took the pill and recalls that Subject took some too. ● Several minutes later, Victim 7 noticed that she was having odd symptoms, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, as well as sweating and feeling anxious. She asked Subject what he had given her and he stated that it was MDMA/ecstasy. ● Victim 7 began panicking, especially as Subject began to touch her without her consent. ● Subject then proceeded to rape her through vaginal penetration. Victim 7 could not recall the entire incident but she described flashes of it, particularly moments where she begged Subject to stop because she was in pain.

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Shareef: an Urdu term that colloquially means honest, well-mannered, or good.

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Several hours later, when Victim 7 was recovering and coming to, she began to process what had happened. Subject, noticing she was upset, told her, “This will make you feel better,” and proceeded to play his own Qur’an recitation from his phone. Victim 7 was deeply disturbed by this and reported how “that moment messed with her deen26” and deeply impacted her faith for years.

After Victim 7 regained full consciousness, Subject told her, “I don’t think this is going to work out; you are not my type.”

Victim 7 immediately called her sister and told her what had happened. Her sister helped her get transportation while Victim 7 attempted to find her clothes and leave. Subject came to the room afterwards and asked her if she wanted to smoke marijuana with him to help her calm down.

While Subject stepped out of his apartment, Victim 7 FaceTimed one of her friends and showed her the drugs and alcohol that were in his kitchen next to the studio where he recorded his Qur’an recitations, as well as the powdered drugs scattered on top of pizza boxes and alcohol in his fridge.

Victim 7 confronted Subject after she came back home and asked why he gave her ecstasy without her consent. Subject began to gaslight her, stating that she had, in fact, given him her consent and that this is what she wanted.

Source 7, 8, 9, and Victim 4 - Workplace Misconduct: 4 individuals that FACE interviewed who had worked directly with Subject corroborated a number of incidents that occurred during his time contracting with a variety of institutions, touring, and/or teaching. The incidents reported to FACE included: ● Attempting to persuade women to come back to his hotel room while he was being paid to speak at Islamic conferences. ● Borrowing the car of a community leader during a conference and returning it saturated with the smell of marijuana smoke, which conference organizers had to pay a professional to extract. ● Taking youth he was supervising to hookah bars during Ramadan, causing a masjid in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to terminate Subject’s Ramadan contract early. ● Offering and consuming marijuana with masjid youth while he was at paid speaking engagements. ● Behaving aggressively and erratically with his colleagues to such a degree that he was believed to be a danger to himself and others. ● Deliberately skipping events he was being paid to speak at. ● Habitually not fulfilling the requirements of his job duties.

VII. RISK MITIGATION In the aftermath of the complaints being brought to the international Muslim community and to FACE: ● ●

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On July 12, 2020, Muslim Aid USA published a statement severing ties with Subject, less than a week after the public outcry.

In April 2021, Subject announced a Ramadan tour in South Africa, with stops in Togo and Sierra Leone. There was another public outcry in response, with individuals from South Africa reaching out to FACE to ascertain any helpful information regarding our findings in an effort to encourage masaajid to rescind Subject’s invitation. Several masaajid did rescind their invites, but some allowed him to continue to lead prayers there and a well-known family entertained him during his stay.

Subject’s trip was cut short by 5 days and he went on to tour masaajid and communities in Sierra Leone and Togo. Two articles written by journalist Shakirah Thebus covering this incident were published on April 9, 2021 and April 17, 2021.

Deen: an Arabic term that refers to someone’s faith or level of devotion to religion 13

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After this incident, local South African grassroots organizer Lameesah Soeker realized the need to create a South African specific institution to tackle these issues locally. She founded an organization called People Eradicating Abuse in Community Environments (PEACE).

Two organizations in South Africa published statements of concern regarding Subject’s visit. Women of Waqf shared a statement on April 20, 2021 and MSA Union shared a statement on April 22, 2021.

On July 18, 2021, Human Appeal - U.K. published a statement, which announced the immediate termination of its relationship with Subject in response to another public outcry in the United Kingdom. Subject had been scheduled to tour several masaajid during the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah, culminating in him leading the Eid-ul-Adha prayer. The announcement prompted individuals to tweet storm the host institutions, and contact FACE for updates on the findings.

VIII. SUBJECT RESPONSE Intimidation: On July 15, 2020, five days after FACE made a public announcement opening an investigation, someone who identified himself as Subject’s manager, Toqeer Khan, and another individual who claimed to be an attorney named Jim Anderson, called FACE in an apparent attempt to intimidate us. “Mr. Anderson” and “Mr. Khan” demanded FACE to stop defaming their client (Subject) through threat of litigation.

It was evident that “Mr. Anderson” was not familiar with the law or with what the term defamation 27 meant.

The FACE representative, Alia Salem, who spoke directly with the two individuals, apprised them of the fact that FACE did not, in fact, break the law and warned them against the crime of impersonating an attorney.

FACE informed them that they should pursue all available means to redress any legal concerns they have.

“Mr. Anderson” stated that they would send FACE a lawsuit within a week; however, to date, FACE never received one and no follow-up was made.

Subject: On the evening of August 28, 2021, FACE sent Subject a formal email to 3 of Subject’s professional and personal email addresses requesting to set up a time to meet within the next 48 hours to give him an opportunity to respond to the allegations. That same evening, FACE also sent a message to Subject’s manager, Mr. Toqeer Khan, through his Instagram account with a similar request for him to pass along to Subject.

FACE also reached out to 6 separate individuals who had contact with Subject and/or Mr. Khan in an attempt to connect with them so Subject could comment on the allegations.

On August 29, 2021, one of the aforementioned 6 individuals that FACE reached out to, who knows Mr. Khan, was able to establish contact with him. According to them, Mr. Khan did not want to speak to FACE as “they had moved on from that subject” and were in a “good place now.” That same day, a second individual gave FACE Mr. Khan’s direct number and FACE reached out to him via text, but did not receive a response.

FACE remains open to receiving any comment from Subject on these allegations and will make it available to the public upon receipt. * Update: On September 5, 2021, Subject made a public post on his Instagram and Facebook pages denying the allegations.

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Defamation: According to U.S. Legal, criminal defamation occurs when one purposely communicates to any person, orally or in writing, any information which he or she knows to be false and knows will tend to expose any other living person to public hatred, contempt, or ridicule.

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IX. RECOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUSION FACE recommends the following for relevant communities: ● Any and all victims of sexual assault by Subject are strongly encouraged to immediately get tested for sexually transmitted diseases, especially HPV 16. ● All interested individuals are invited to attend two Live Q&As hosted by FACE. The U.S. one will take place on September 2, 2021 at 6:00 pm PST/8:00 pm CST/9:00 pm EST. The Europe/Middle East/South Africa one will take place on September 3rd at 12:00 pm CST/6:00 pm BST/7:00 pm SAST. There is a specific recommendation for the presence of institutions and representatives leading large organizations, especially those who hosted or contracted with Subject. More details will be provided about how to join on September 1st via our newsletter, which you can subscribe to here, our Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and Twitter. ● Subject should not be employed in any facility as a reciter, a religious leader or a community leader, nor should he obtain employment where he would have access to women or vulnerable individuals. ● Any institution hosting or contracting with Subject must be aware that they may be held liable if a victim escalates Subject’s abuse to legal authorities, or if Subject commits additional transgressions while they knowingly facilitate his access to vulnerable populations. ● Former affiliations of Subject and international institutions are requested to endorse the FACE findings in a public written communication disseminated to their community and masaajid internationally, especially affirming their belief that Subject is not fit to hold a leadership position. ● Any masaajid or institutions who contracted with him are recommended to take down their content featuring Subject from their social media, YouTube channels, and all other platforms. ● For all relevant communities and institutions to implement the following for all teachers, staff, and volunteers, regardless of their degree or certification: ○ A code of conduct, sexual harassment policy, and community bill of rights ○ Abuse reporting tool and investigative process ○ A list of mental health resources made publicly available and funding for indigent persons to access support ○ Mandatory annual training on: ■ Sexual harassment and prevention ■ Child abuse prevention and safety and mandatory reporting ■ Abuse prevention in a faith-based environment ● If you or somebody you know is a victim of abuse by Subject, or another religious or community leader, please contact FACE via the report submission form on our website.

FACE www.facetogether.org (844) 360-2489

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