The Wandering Shaykh

The Shaykh is a well known instructor who usually teaches online at Islamic School.  He taught for several years until he suddenly had no classes listed.  The Islamic School fired the Shaykh for privately contacting female students and soliciting secret marriage proposals and exchanging flirtatious and sexually explicit emails.  Islamic School did not announce the reason for the Shaykh’s departure or that he even technically departed at all.  The Shaykh went on and established his own Islamic Institute and became its scholar-in-residence.  There he continued to pursue women in his new setting.  When a sister came forward regarding advances from the Shaykh, along with her evidence, the Board of the Shaykh’s Islamic Institute eventually reviewed the evidence.  Initially they ignored the sister’s evidence but due to public pressure, the Board conducted an investigation.  The Board’s investigation included contacting Imam, who had also previously worked alongside the Shaykh at the Islamic School, and inquired about the evidence in connection with claims from the Shaykh’s actions at the Islamic School. 

Rather than telling the Board that the Shaykh was fired for inappropriate conduct, the Imam lied to the Board and told the Board that the Islamic School treated the allegations as a “private matter.”  The Imam wanted to cover up the Shaykh’s illicit behavior and wanted to influence the Board in how it would handle their own investigation.  The Imam’s plan worked and the Board also treated the sister’s allegations as a “private matter” despite the fact that the Shaykh was using his scholarly authority for personal gain.  Eventually the sister’s claims reached a tipping point and the Islamic Institute released a vague letter of “transition” and the Shaykh exited from the Islamic Institute.  The Shaykh has simply established yet another Institute and the cycle continues….

*name of institutes changed