3. Another blog reader who emailed me in response to my post on how my Qur’an teacher sexually abused girls in my elementary school. Pasting verbatim what she shared with me (and allowed me to post it on my blog) – a reminder from her to our communities: never, EVER blame the person who’s being or has been abused! It’s never their fault. Never. (I’m collecting stories of sexual abuse on my blog at this link; please feel free to share anything in regards to the subject if you’re comfortable doing so.)
I am so glad you wrote about this incident and are making people aware that this is serious issue in Muslim communities around the world. I was not surprised, but disgusted, since this very similar incident happened to me and my classmates at Sunday School in New Jersey. We were about 5-6 years old. Our so-called Imam would call on a student and she would go right next to his desk. He would place her right next to him where the desk would hide his filthy act. He would ask us to recite. We would recite surat al Fatiha or some small other surah as he put his hand beneath our clothes and touched us. What a sick person he was. To sexually abuse us as he was teaching us Quran. This is particularly disturbing because it happened at a Sunday School. At a mosque. From a “religious scholar.” One night I decided to tell my parents about it. My parents were confused and shocked. I remember my dad calling another classmate’s father and asking him about it. The next thing I knew my parents took me to the mosque at night. I stayed in the car and I remember watching police cars, with bright flashing lights in the dark, at the mosque and the sheikh being handcuffed. I still think about it and wonder what happened after. Did he get jail time? Did he teach again? I truly hope he got punished for what he did-scarring children forever. For violating my small, innocent self. For teaching me about the holy Quran, while he was committing sins. Did he think that nobody would say anything? That just because the community trusted him as a sheikh, he can do whatever he wanted? I pray that God punishes him. And I pray that God punishes all other sick men who sexually abuse children. Because children are gifts from God. They should never have to go through I went through. But unfortunately, many do. The least we can do is support them and encourage them to speak up. And never. ever. ever. blame the victim.
Freedom from the Forbidden 