Qur'an Teacher Ashraf Miah Convicted of Molesting Girls While Teaching Them about Islam

It's sad that crimes like this occur, but at least these particular crimes happened in the West, where young girls can get justice. In Muslim countries, many young girls wouldn't say a word about such molestation, since Islam wouldn't recognize their testimony (and since some of them would be killed in honor killings if their parents found out).

Ashraf Miah, aged 38, of Joseph Street, Bow E3, was sentenced to three years and three months imprisonment at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 7 January 2010 following 13 charges of sexual assault by touching, against six girls, one as young as 4-years-old, in his care during 2005 and 2009.

The offences happened when Miah was entrusted to teach young females to read from the Koran either at his home address or at their address.

The crimes came to notice when Miah was arrested in November 2009 for offences against two of the girls. During the investigation, dealt with by detectives from the Child Abuse Investigation Team, other children that had been taught by Miah were contacted and more offences came to notice, leading to his further arrest in January 2010.

13 charges followed in April 2010 when he appeared before Thames Magistrates' Court. He was convicted on all 13 counts.

He was sentenced to three years and three months imprisonment, put on the sex offenders register for life and is not allowed to work with children.

The officer leading the investigation, Detective Sergeant Martin Bird from the Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: "The tragedy of this case is that a highly respected member of the community took advantage of their position of trust. It goes to show that even if someone thinks they have got away with it at the time, young people are brave enough to come forward and testify at court." (Source)