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Islamic Preachers in US Escalate Antisemitic Rhetoric Amid Gaza War, Campus Protests
Students at George Washington University in Washington, DC on April 25, 2024 obeying a call to pray while facing east towards Mecca, a form of worship particular to the Muslim faith. Photo: Leah Millis/Reuters Connect
Several Islamic preachers and other authority figures in the US have been leveraging their positions in recent weeks to disseminate hateful messages about Israel and the Jewish people, contributing to a global surge in antisemitism that has reached record levels since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
Certain imams at mosques across the country have used their platforms to deliver sermons in which they pushed antisemitic conspiracies about Jews and promoted false claims about Israel’s conduct in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas, and elsewhere, according to research by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
In a Friday sermon delivered on April 26, Dr. Fadi Yousef Kablawi of the North Miami Islamic Center accused Israel of being “worse than the Nazis” and touted conspiracy theories that Israeli aid organizations used the 2010 Haiti earthquake as a cover to harvest innocent Haitians’ organs.
“It is not enough that they [Israel] stole their land; now they steal their skin,” he said, suggesting that Israel is engaging in similar practices during its current war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
“Go and find who is behind organ trading in this country or this world. Go and ask them, those who know,” Kablawi urged his congregants. “All that is because there is no God for these people. All that is because these people look at you as nothing but a mistake, or at best, you were created for their service.”
Among his supplications at the end of his sermon, he pleaded, “Oh God, fall upon the tyrannical Jews,” and “fall upon the brothers of apes and pigs … Oh God cut off their seed.”
The North Miami Islamic Center (or Masjid As-Sunnah An-Nabawiyyah), where Kablawi serves as the sole imam, calls itself “one of the largest Islamic centers in the State of Florida.”
Days earlier on April 20, a different mosque in Fort Lauderdale, Florida featured a sermon by an unnamed imam who claimed “they [Jews, unlike Christians] are always injecting the poison inside the communities to affect them.”
His colleague, another unnamed imam, alleged at the same venue one week later that elite universities — currently the site of an eruption of anti-Israel protests — are “controlled by Zionists.”
“Why do they want this social unrest? In order to push their agenda,” he continued. “And their agenda is about what? It is about totalitarianism. It is about control. It is about subjugating every human being on the surface of this Earth to one group, led by the Zionists of this world. That is pretty much it.”
The speaker claimed that the university demonstrations were a cover for increased government surveillance while infiltrating Mossad [Israeli intelligence] agents were instigating campus violence.
“You cannot criticize the prime minister [of Israel], and you cannot deny the Holocaust, and you cannot say that it is a genocide [in Gaza]. Yes, I can! Yes, I can! We all do, we all do,” he said.
The same imam had recently referenced antisemitic assertions about the Talmud that Jews believe gentiles are “animals in human form … created to serve them.” Further notable libels from the sermon included him saying that it is “an honor for the Jews to shoot Gazan babies while they are still in their incubators and it is permissible for them to steal land from non-Jews,” and claiming that “throughout history you will find that Jews orchestrated everything against Muslims. But who executed? The Christians.”
Abdelrahman Badawy, imam of the Muslim American Society (MAS) Staten Island Center, preached at the MAS Youth Center the same day as Kablawi’s sermon, vocalizing his belief that “the devils, the Zionists, have no interest in leaving the Muslims alone over there. They don’t care which borders you go back to; they are going to keep taking and taking and taking.”
Badawy drew parallels between modern Israel and Banu Qurayza, the Jewish tribe that feuded with Muhammad and the early Muslims and were executed for their alleged treason.
“Banu Qurayza had not officially taken up arms yet … They did. They officially broke the treaty … Well, it wasn’t official because they have their sneaky ways,” he said. “So, these people were cunning, they were conniving, they were foul, and you see the parallels today. They go for the women and children.”
Other public statements by Islamic scholars were directed at anti-Israel college protesters.
Tarik Ata, the imam of the Orange County Islamic Foundation in California, preached last month that “every ounce of fear and anger that you put in the heart of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his thugs, and all those who support, collaborate, and finance this violent and inhumane war against a primarily civilian population — every ounce of fear that you put in their hearts by your lawful protests is rewarded by Allah.”
He added, “Allah never wastes a reward for those who do a good deed. Allah says in this verse that whatever step you take that brings you pain — emotional pain, I mean — that brings fear into the hearts of these cruel people, these enemies of humanity, that you will be rewarded for it.”
Ata also conspicuously did not refer to the Holocaust by its name: “The only comparison today between Nazi Germany and that whole fiasco — that terrible situation — and what is going on today is that you, Netanyahu, are similar to Hitler and Zionism is similar to Nazism.”
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), characterized the effort to convert Jews as a religious duty while speaking on May 3 at the Muslim Community Center of the San Francisco Bay Area.
“Our number one priority today is da’wa [literally ‘invitation,’ with the meaning of ‘Islamic outreach/proselytism’],” he urged. “We are people all throughout this country who are hurting and who are suffering, and they need this message, they need the goodness of this Islamic nation to help them.”
Walid continued, “I looked to the left, I saw nothing, but a bunch of white Jewish people – women who we wouldn’t even think were dressed appropriately – were putting up their hands, and the Muslims said ‘amen’ and these Jewish people said ‘amen.’ They need to be invited to Islam.”
Walid’s comments came after CAIR’s co-founder and executive director, Nihad Awad, said in November that he was “happy” to witness Hamas’ rampage across southern Israel on Oct. 7, when the Palestinian terrorist group invaded the Jewish state from neighboring Gaza, murdered 1,200 people, and kidnapped over 250 others as hostages. The massacre launched the ongoing war in Gaza, where Israel has been waging a military campaign aimed at dismantling Hamas and freeing the hostages.
Since the atrocities of Oct. 7, there has been a global surge in antisemitism, with several countries reporting record numbers of antisemitic incidents.
The Anti-Defamation League released a report last month showing antisemitic incidents in the US rose 140 percent last year, reaching an all-time high. Most of the outrages occurred after Oct. 7, during the ensuing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
On college campuses specifically, the ADL report found that antisemitic incidents rose 321 percent, disrupting the studies of Jewish students and causing many to feel unsafe.
Meanwhile, antisemitic incidents have also skyrocketed to record highs in several other countries around the world, especially in Europe, since Oct. 7.
In October, Cygnal conducted a survey indicating 57.5 percent of Muslim American respondents felt that Hamas was at least “somewhat justified” in attacking Israel “as part of their struggle for a Palestinian state.”
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Report: Jews Targeted at June’s Pride Month Events
A Jewish gay pride flag. Photo: Twitter.
The research division of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) released a report on Wednesday detailing incidents of hate against Jews which took place last month during demonstrations in celebration of LGBTQ rights and identity.
Incidents reported by the group include:
- At a Pride march in Wales, the activists Cymru Queers for Palestine chose to block the path and show a sign that said “Profiting from genocide,” an attempt to link the event’s sponsors — such as Amazon — to the war in Gaza.
- A Dublin Pride march saw the participation of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which labeled Israel a “genocidal entity.”
- In Toronto at a late June Pride march, demonstrators again attacked organizers with a sign declaring, “Pride partners with genocide.”
CAM also identified a recurring narrative deployed against Israel by some far-left activists: so-called “pinkwashing,” a term which the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) movement calls “an Israeli government propaganda strategy that cynically exploits LGBTQIA+ rights to project a progressive image while concealing Israel’s occupation and apartheid policies oppressing Palestinians.”
The report notes that at a Washington DC Pride event in early June Medea Benjamin, cofounder of activist group Code Pink and a regular of anti-war protests, wore a pair of goofy, oversized sunglasses and a shirt in her signature pink with the phrase “you can’t pinkwash genocide.”
Other incidents CAM recorded showed the injection of anti-Israel sentiment into Pride events.
A musical group canceled a performance at an interfaith service in Brooklyn, claiming the hosting synagogue had a “public alignment with pro-Israel political positions.” In San Francisco before the yearly Trans March, a Palestine group said in its announcement of its participation, “Stop the war on Iran and the genocide of Palestine, stop the war on immigrants and attacks on trans people.”
CAM notes that this “queers for Palestine” sentiment is not new, pointing to a 2017 event wherein “organizers of the Chicago Dyke March infamously removed participants who were waving a Pride flag adorned with a Star of David on the grounds that the symbol ‘made people feel unsafe.’”
In February, the Israel Defense Forces shared with the New York Post documents it had recovered demonstrating that Hamas had tortured and executed members it suspected of homosexuality and other moral offenses in conflict with Islamist ideology.
Amit Benjamin, who is gay and a first sergeant major in the IDF, said during a visit to New York City for Pride month that “All the ‘queers for Gaza’ need to open their eyes. Hamas kills gays … kills lesbians … queers cannot exist in Gaza.”
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IAEA pulls inspectors from Iran as standoff over access drags on
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 23, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl/File Photo
The UN nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff over their return to the country’s nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel deepens.
Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran’s facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority.
Iran’s parliament has now passed a law to suspend cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency’s inspectors will be able to return to Iran.
“An IAEA team of inspectors today safely departed from Iran to return to the Agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict,” the IAEA said on X.
Diplomats said the number of IAEA inspectors in Iran was reduced to a handful after the June 13 start of the war. Some have also expressed concern about the inspectors’ safety since the end of the conflict, given fierce criticism of the agency by Iranian officials and Iranian media.
Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said he stands by the report. He has denied it provided diplomatic cover for military action.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday Iran remained committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
“[Grossi] reiterated the crucial importance of the IAEA discussing with Iran modalities for resuming its indispensable monitoring and verification activities in Iran as soon as possible,” the IAEA said.
The US and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran’s three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran’s nine tonnes of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade.
That is enough, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick. Iran says its aims are entirely peaceful, but Western powers say there is no civil justification for enriching to such a high level, and the IAEA says no country has done so without developing the atom bomb.
As a party to the NPT, Iran must account for its enriched uranium, which normally is closely monitored by the IAEA, the body that enforces the NPT and verifies countries’ declarations. But the bombing of Iran’s facilities has now muddied the waters.
“We cannot afford that … the inspection regime is interrupted,” Grossi told a press conference in Vienna last week.
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American Jews — and Jews Around the World — Need to Wake Up
A Boulder police officer patrols with a bomb smelling dog beside a makeshift memorial outside the Boulder Courthouse, days after an attack that injured multiple people in Boulder, Colorado, US, June 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mark Makela
This week, it emerged that a student at Nysmith School — a prestigious K-8 private school in Virginia — submitted a portrait of Adolf Hitler, no less, for a classroom project on “strong historical leaders.”
You might expect that the school would treat this as a serious misstep, an opportunity to teach boundaries and basic decency. Instead, they proudly displayed the artwork.
And when one Jewish student’s parents, understandably horrified, raised their concerns, the school’s response wasn’t an apology — it was dismissal. Their 11-year-old daughter, they were told, needed to “toughen up.”
Then, in a twist that belongs in some dark satirical novel, all three of that family’s children were expelled. Let that sink in. Expelled!
This wasn’t a college campus. It wasn’t a high school. And it wasn’t some anonymous post in a toxic online forum. This was an art and history assignment at an elite elementary and middle school.
And let’s be clear — this wasn’t an isolated incident or a momentary lapse in judgment. After October 7th, the school’s headmaster raised a Palestinian flag in the gym. Shortly after, according to a lawsuit, he canceled the Holocaust education event — because it might “inflame tensions.” Inflame tensions with whom, exactly?
When Jewish students were bullied — called “baby killers” and mocked about murdered relatives — they weren’t protected. They were allegedly punished for speaking up.
So let me say this clearly: what happened at Nysmith isn’t just a civil rights violation. It is a moral collapse. And yes — this is how it begins.
America, we’re told, is the safest place in the world for Jews. And maybe it is. Until it isn’t.
Because we’ve been here before. Babylonia was the best place for Jews. Until it wasn’t.
Spain, in its Golden Age, welcomed Jewish poets, scientists, and philosophers. Until it didn’t.
Medieval era France, the Rhineland, England — each of them was considered the best place for Jews. Until they weren’t.
The Ottoman Empire was once a safe haven. Until it wasn’t.
Poland was called Paradisus Judaeorum — the Paradise of the Jews. Until it wasn’t.
It doesn’t happen all at once. The shift is slow. Subtle. At first, you ignore it. Then you excuse it. Then it becomes undeniable. And by then, it’s usually too late.
This past week, at the Glastonbury music festival in the UK — a family-friendly event attended by thousands — British rapper Bob Vylan took the stage and shouted into the mic: “Death, death to the IDF!” The crowd roared in approval.
The BBC, which could easily have cut the live feed using the standard broadcast delay, did nothing. The chant was broadcast to millions.
Within hours, the clip went viral. Not on obscure fringe forums or dark corners of Telegram — but on TikTok, Instagram, and X. In just a few days, “Death to the IDF” has become the go-to slogan for every armchair antisemite with a smartphone.
To illustrate how far we’ve come down this road, had this happened at Glastonbury just a few months ago, it would have been shocking. Now it’s par for the course, and a chant that’s picked up and repeated around the world. Calling for the death of IDF soldiers has been mainstreamed and normalized. It’s the new rallying cry. That’s how fast the tide turns.
We are living through one of those moments when the tectonic plates shift beneath our feet — and we pretend it’s not happening. Or that it’s not as bad as it looks. We tell ourselves, It’s isolated. It’s exaggerated. It’s just performance art. It’s lunatic lefties. It’s radical Muslims. It’s fringe neo-Nazis. It’s just college campuses. It’s just Gaza.
Well, I’ve got news for you — it isn’t. And let me tell you something else: the Torah warned us about this from the very beginning of our national story.
In Parshat Chukkat, the Jewish people are finally ready to end their long journey. After 40 years of wandering, all they want is safe passage through the lands of their neighbors. No invasion. No demands. Just a straightforward request: let us pass.
Moshe sends messengers to Edom with a message that couldn’t be more respectful (Num. 20:14–17): “So says your brother Israel … we won’t touch your vineyards, we won’t drink your water. We just want to pass through — quietly and peacefully.” But Edom refuses. No reason given and no negotiation. Just a flat denial: “You shall not pass.”
So the Israelites try again, this time with the Emorites. They send the same message, with the same tone. And guess what, they get the same result. But here’s the remarkable part: the Israelites posed no threat. They weren’t armed for battle, and they weren’t looking for war. They simply wanted to walk through and get to the land of their heritage.
But that didn’t matter, because even then — even in the ancient world — there was something bubbling beneath the surface: a deep, irrational discomfort with Jews.
One ancient commentary, the Sifrei, notes that Edom’s refusal wasn’t about fear or self-defense. It was about something much more visceral: they couldn’t tolerate the idea of Jews moving through their land, even peacefully. Just their presence was too much.
This is the oldest pattern in world history — the “othering” of Jews. The automatic transformation of the Jew into a problem, then a threat, and then a scapegoat. Even when the only thing he’s doing is walking down the road.
American Jews, British Jews — in fact, Jews everywhere, including Israel — aren’t looking for conflict. We don’t want war. We don’t want to stir up trouble. We just want to live in peace with our neighbors and contribute to the societies we call home.
And we do contribute — far beyond our numbers. In science, in medicine, in education, in business, in culture, in public service — we are always at the front of the line.
And yet, scratch the surface, and the hatred bubbles up like lava from a volcano. The moment it becomes socially acceptable, antisemites pounce — eager to find a reason to target Jews and threaten their existence.
We’re starting to see it now, even in the United States. It starts small. One school expels Jewish children, after they were the ones who were targeted. And all the while, we keep telling ourselves: this is still the best place for Jews. And maybe it is. Until it isn’t.
Parshat Chukkat reminds us that even when you’re reasonable — even when you ask politely, play by the rules, and pose no threat — there comes a moment when the answer is “no.” When the people you thought were your neighbors, your colleagues, your classmates, your fellow citizens, suddenly say, “no.” And when that moment comes, the worst thing you can do is pretend it’s still business as usual.
To be clear: I’m not saying it’s time to pack our bags. I’m not a prophet, nor am I a panic merchant. I’m simply saying: wake up and open your eyes. Listen to the crowds chanting “Death to the IDF” and understand what they really mean. Watch what happens when Jewish children ask for protection — and instead get punished. Recognize the ancient pattern for what it is.
In Parshat Chukkat, the Israelites were denied passage, but they didn’t grovel. They didn’t beg a third time. They gathered themselves, stood tall, and faced their enemies head-on — until their enemies were no more. They marched forward, heads held up high, with God at their side. And maybe it’s time we did the same.
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