The guy is not racist, he is religionist. I’ve met plenty of people who identify as “white” who are as dark, if not darker, than him. He wants to be racist, but his racism is directed at people of his own race.
What needs to happen is for every religionist like him to have their face rubbed in the fact that we are the same race.
He’s expressing his contempt in terms of skin color. That is racism. No need to downgrade the charge against him on a technicality. Why weakly rub his nose in a technicality when you can bludgeon him with a charge of racism.