Plaintiff in civil sex abuse trial testifies Camden advisory school board president abused her ‘in the worst possible ways’

More than three decades after she said she was sexually abused as a middle school student by her then-teacher, now the Camden Advisory School Board president, Wasim Muhammad’s former student said she has unanswered questions.

Speaking publicly about her experiences for the first time Wednesday as the first witness in a civil trial alleging that Muhammad sexually abused her when he was her social studies teacher at Cooper B. Hatch Middle School, she said she still wonders, Why her?

“I ask myself why did this happen?” she said. “Why did he do this to me? Who would do this to a 13-year-old girl? There are no answers for me.’”

Now 45 and a first-grade teacher in the South, the woman is identified as Jane Doe in her lawsuit filed in 2021. The Inquirer is not identifying her because it does not identify victims in sexual assault cases without their consent.

Muhammad, 56, has denied the allegations in the bombshell case that has rocked Camden. His attorney, Troy Archie, has said the civil action is “frivolous and meritless and based on circumstantial evidence lacking legitimate facts.” (An arbitrator who reviewed the files and depositions taken this spring recommended a $1 million settlement that would have made Muhammad liable for 60% of that amount, but that offer was rejected.)

» READ MORE: Who is Wasim Muhammad, Camden’s school board president accused of sexually abusing a student?

Muhammad’s accuser said the alleged abuse began when she was in the seventh grade, and Muhammad — then known as Donnie Walker — began singling her out for attention. One day, Muhammad asked her to stay behind after class and fondled her breasts and vagina, and kissed her in the mouth, she said.

“He told me, ‘You know you can’t tell anybody this, right?’” she recalled, responding to questions from her lawyer, Jeffrey Fritz.

“I said, ‘OK,’” she said.

She said a principal at Hatch once asked her why she was often in his class. And a teacher, who is expected to testify in the case, said she saw the girl leave Muhammad’s house during the school day, and was followed by him seconds later.

Both times the girl denied any suspicions, she said, acting on orders from Muhammad. She said she viewed him as an “authoritarian figure,” and she was a rule follower.

“I was told not to tell,” she said.

For years, she was afraid to come forward, she said, because “I didn’t think people would believe me. I felt it was too scary of a process to even consider.”

During an emotional testimony lasting about four hours, the woman detailed alleged sexual acts with Muhammad that spanned several years and included anal and oral sex. She said she was a virgin before Muhammad and he told her, “Now you’re a woman.” She was 14.

She told the jury that Muhammad “sexually abused me horribly in the worst ways possible.” She struggled to regain her composure after breaking down and wiping tears.

Muhammad, sitting next to his lawyer, stared at her intensely during her testimony. Archie is expected to complete his cross-examination Thursday morning.

The woman also testified that Muhammad took her to the Feather Nest Inn in Cherry Hill and other motels for sexual activity. The alleged sexual abuse continued when she enrolled in nearby Camden High School and Muhammad instructed her to go to his house before and after school where they had sexual intercourse, she said.

Under cross-examination from Jessica Anderson, the lawyer for the Camden City School District, the woman acknowledged that only one sexual encounter occurred on school property. The lawsuit contends the district was negligent in protecting her.

Anderson questioned the woman at length about why she “liked” two posts on Muhammad’s Facebook page. The woman said she inadvertently liked them.

“There’s nothing likable about this person who did abuse me,” she said.

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After her family moved to the South in 1994 after her freshman year, the woman said, the sexual abuse continued. She said Muhammad visited her at least four times and twice signed her out of school to have sex with her at motels.

He eventually convinced her to return to New Jersey in 1997 to be with him when she turned 18, she said. Muhammad said she became one of his Muslim wives under his Islamic faith. She denied that.

“I was not married to him, ever,” she said. “I was never his wife.”

On several occasions, Muhammad coerced her into having sex with him and his Muslim wife Chabree. He also had a legal wife, Stephanie, who knew about his relationship with her, she said.

“He wanted us to have threesomes together,” she said. “I just didn’t feel comfortable saying no to him.”

The woman said she left New Jersey and returned to her family after Muhammad took her to a porn theater and forced her to have sex with a stranger in a bathroom while Muhammad watched and masturbated.

Before she took the stand, Fritz showed the jury an excerpt from a video deposition of Muhammad taken in August.

“Have you ever engaged in sexual activity with [my client] and another one of your wives simultaneously?” Muhammad was asked.

“I refuse to answer,” he responded. “Can I plead the Fifth on that one, sir?”

Muhammad and several of his wives (he has four Muslim wives and one legal wife) are expected to testify during the trial. The trial was delayed briefly Wednesday after a juror was excused for medical reasons, leaving seven jurors.

Muhammad is a minister in the Nation of Islam and a prominent community activist. He has served on the school advisory board since 2013 and has been president since 2020. He took a leave of absence in January pending the outcome of the case.