What he said to you does not sound to me like a fatwa. It sounds like a bit of advice based on his personal opinion.

Educated Muslims in the US now realize that to thrive as a community, and not just survive, pursuing careers in just IT, business and medicine will not cut it. Muslims are now entering fields like broadcast journalism, law enforcement, public school teaching, politics (Democratic and Republican), public service, sports, the entertainment industry etc. As Muslim trailblazers, they are going to encounter much racial and religious discrimination. I believe a strong background in civil rights is critical for a religious scholar and Imam working in our country.

I did not take the Fatwa from the AMJA scholar. In my opinion, the fatwa to forgive the perpetrators and oppressors would have allowed religious and racial discrimination as well as child abuse at the school I was working at to continue.

As a Virginia public school teacher, an American Red Cross lifeguard and a mandated reporter of child abuse, I had to send a firm message to our school district. And, most importantly, on the Day of Judgement, I would have to answer to Allah: Did I try to stop the evil I saw in this world?

Fortunately, the scholars at our local ADAMS Islamic center were well aware of civil rights issues. First, they listened to me with empathy, the most important thing for a scholar to do. They understood the trauma I had been through. They said I had a strong case and the main Imam even referred me to a former school board member. May Allah reward them all.

And of course I went to CAIR. CAIR informed me, “CAIR receives a large volume of complaints each month and is unable to accept all complaints that it receives. Upon reviewing the information you provided in connection with your claim, we are unable to assist you with your case at this time.”

I also consulted with several civil rights lawyers. They were asking for retainer fees from $20,000 to $30,000 up front. I could not afford that. So, I sued the school board myself,

حسبي الله و نعم الوكيل

To be fair, a religious scholar can’t know everything about everything. He can’t be a civil rights expert, marriage counselor, financial advisor… You should have consulted a CAIR official or civil rights attorney.