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Memri
2 days ago
- Politics
- Memri
Neo-Nazis And White Supremacists React To Molotov Attack In Boulder, Colorado, By Egyptian National: 'Muslim Guy Throws Six Million Cocktails At Pro-Israel Rally In Denver, CO'
On June 1, 2025, a man attacked a demonstration held in Boulder, Colorado, to raise awareness for Israeli hostages in Gaza. The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, used a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails in the attack. Fifteen people were injured. Online, neo-Nazis and white supremacists reacted to the attack, largely dismissing it as a "false flag." Soliman is an Egyptian national who immigrated to the United States in August 2022, receiving a two-year work authorization in 2023. A note for his family left on his phone and his testimony during his interview with the police confirmed that he had planned the attack far in advance. Soliman had initially intended to use a firearm to carry out the assault, but changed his plan to use Molotov cocktails after learning that as a non-citizen he could not purchase a gun. Soliman picked the "Run for Their Lives" walk as his target after researching the group online. He claimed that he was motivated by his hatred of Israel and Zionism, but that the attack had nothing to do with the Jewish community, only Zionists who support "the killings of people on his land," referring to Palestine. Soliman recorded a video before the attack in which he declared: "Jihad is more beloved to me than my mother, wife, and children; Allah is greater than Zionists and America." To view the video, see MEMRI TV clip: "Boulder, CO Firebomber Mohamed Sabry Soliman Recorded Video Before Attack Declaring: Jihad Is More Beloved To Me Than My Mother, Wife, And Children; Allah Is Greater Than The Zionists And America." The following report will provide an overview of neo-Nazi and white supremacist reactions to the terror attack on a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1. YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO THE MEMRI DOMESTIC TERRORISM THREAT MONITOR (DTTM) TO READ THE FULL REPORT. GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA CAN REQUEST A COPY BY WRITING TO DTTMSUBS@ WITH THE REPORT TITLE IN THE SUBJECT LINE. PLEASE INCLUDE FULL ORGANIZATIONAL DETAILS AND AN OFFICIAL EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR REQUEST. NOTE: WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE A COPY ONLY TO MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT, LAW ENFORCEMENT, MEDIA, AND ACADEMIA, AND TO SUBSCRIBERS; IF YOU DO NOT MEET THESE CRITERIA PLEASE DO NOT REQUEST. Neo-Nazis Label Terror Attack False Flag On X, Telegram, Gab On Telegram, a neo-Nazi account posted a video on June 1 of people trying to help the burn victims with the caption: "Group of jewish protesters in Boulder, Colorado, were allegedly just set on fire by a guy with a molotov cocktail." An antisemitic conspiracy theorist on X posted a screenshot on June 1 of a post from Laura Loomer saying, "get ready for another 9/11" and wrote, "So the Zionist [redacted] tweets this and then an attack happens in Boulder, Colorado. Coincidence? I don't think so." An antisemitic conspiracy theorist on X posted an image on June 2 of the alleged perpetrator of the Molotov attack and wrote: "This man is not Muslim This man is not called Mohamed This man is an Israeli agent who has just perpetrated a false flag event in Boulder Colorado It is all theatre Period." On Gab, a neo-Nazi account posted a news article on June 2 that noted that one of the victims of the Molotov attack is a Holocaust survivor and wrote, "This headline is how you should know it was a fake and ghey false flag." A Canadian white supremacist on X posted a video on June 2 of the terror attack suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman. He captioned the video: "Boulder, Colorado terror attack suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman is an illegal invader from Egypt. The Press will continue to call him a white man. I'm sick of thousand year old wars and grievances happening on our soil."
Memri
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Memri
From The MEMRI TV Archives: Pro-Palestinian Activist Who Killed Two People At Jewish DC Event For Young Professionals While Yelling 'Free Palestine!' Was Affiliated With Extremist 'Party For Socialism
The following clips from the MEMRI TV archives feature pro-Palestinian activists from the Party for Socialism and Liberation speaking at protests and demonstrations calling for martyrdom and chanting death to Israel! and death to America! In the May 21, 2025, shooting attack that took place outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., where the American Jewish Committee was holding an event for young professionals, the accused suspect, Elias Rodriguez, was a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. The attacker yelled Free Palestine! during the shooting, which resulted in the deaths of two Israeli Embassy employees. On May 22, the Party for Socialism an Liberation published a post on X denying any connection to the DC shooting.[1] It wrote: "We reject any attempt to associate the PSL with the DC shooting. Elias Rodriguez is not a member of the PSL. He had a brief association with one branch of the PSL that ended in 2017. We know of no contact with him in over 7 years. We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it." Party For Socialism And Liberation Posts Video Of November 2023 Protest Against VP Kamala Harris: When It Comes To Genocide There Is No Lesser Of Two Evils; We're Done Supporting Politicians Just Because Of Their Background And What They Look Like On July 23, 2024, following Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party for the November presidential elections, the Party for Socialism and Liberation posted a video on X of a November protest against a Kamala Harris fundraiser in Boston. In the video, a protester said that when it comes to genocide there is no lesser of two evils. You are either on the right side of history or on the wrong side of history! He added: We're done supporting politicians just because of what they look like or what their background is. Click here or below to view the clip on MEMRI TV: Speaker: "We were told that we should vote for them, because they're the 'lesser of two evils.' When it comes to genocide, there is no lesser of two evils! You are either on the right side of history, or on the wrong side of history! Her campaign communications director said, 'Kamala Harris's support for Israel is central to who she is.' And now, with over 10,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza in a month, with almost half of them being children, we can see exactly what that means! It means support for genocide, support for colonialism, support for oppression. That is central to who Kamala Harris is." Speakers At Raleigh, NC Demonstration Salute Rocket Attacks On Israel; Transgender Activist Claire Clark: The Palestinians, Muslims Are No Enemies Of The LGBTQ Community – My Enemies Are In Israel, The White House, Congress, Supreme Court At a May 13, 2023 Nakba Day rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Lebanese-American environmental organizer Rania Masri said that Israel has no right to exist and the Palestinians have the right to armed resistance. She saluted the armed fighters in Palestine and the rockets launched from Gaza. Dana Al-Hasan, an American activist who is also a postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), said that the fighters in Gaza are coordinating with freedom-fighters in Jenin and in Al-Aqsa, and she praised the unity between the various armed Palestinian factions. American transgender rights activist Claire Clark of the Party for Socialism and Liberation said that claims that she should support Israel because of the supposed LGBTQ-friendly policies of the Zionist government and the supposed enmity of the Muslims and Palestinian people are a bold-faced lie. She added: There is not one enemy of mine among the Palestinian people fighting for their freedom. Clark also said that her enemies, who are the enemies of the entire LGBTQ community, are in the United States. Another activist named Iyad spoke in Arabic and said that the Palestinian and Muslim people, as well as the free people of the world, say to the resistance in Palestine: Go fight, we are fighting with you. Footage of the rally was uploaded to DART VIDEO channel on YouTube. For more about rallies held on Nakba Day 2023, see MEMRI TV clips 10292, 10299, and 10296. Click here or below to view the clip on MEMRI TV: Claire Clark: "I come to you today, as a transgender woman, as a queer woman, as a member of the LGBTQ community. I come to you today to denounce the duplicitous and divisive propaganda spread by the occupation regime. [...] "Them telling [me] that I should support the occupation, I should support the settlers, I should support the apartheid regime, and I should oppose the resistance of Palestinians. And why? Because of the allegedly LGBTQ-friendly policies of the Zionist government and the supposed enmity of the Muslims and Palestinian people. But I am here to tell you, that is a bold-faced lie. It doesn't matter how many times the politicians and the talking heads repeat it, or how cleverly they tell it – it is a lie! "I have no friends in the Zionist regime. I have no friends among the settlers. "I have no friends in the White House, in the halls of Congress, the chambers of the Supreme Court, or the corporate boardrooms where exploitation is turned into profit through the malign sorcery of capitalism, and there is not one enemy of mine among the Palestinian people fighting for their freedom. "My enemies, the enemies, the enemies of the LGBTQ people, are right here, in these United States. [...] "They say that Palestinians are my enemy, but that is a lie. The commitment of the Palestinian people to justice is legendary, it is a proven fact, and it is sealed in the blood of martyrs." Pro-DPRK Activist Ju-Hyun At NYC Pro-Palestine Rally: North Korea Has Been Arming And Training The Palestinians For Decades; Palestinians And Koreans Have A Common Enemy On July 9, 2023, the Palestinian Youth Movement, as well as other organizations, held a rally in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City in support of the Palestinian resistance in Jenin and of imprisoned terrorist Walid Daqqa, who was part of a cell of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) comprised of Arab Israelis who kidnapped IDF soldier Moshe Tamam in 1984, gouged his eyes out, and castrated him before shooting him dead. At the rally, Korean activist Ju-Hyun, who belongs to Nodutol, a pro-Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPKR) organization promoting the reunification of Korea, expressed his support for Palestinian resistance by any means necessary. He stated that North Korea has been training and arming the Palestinian resistance for decades. He quoted North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung as saying that the Korean people will resolutely support the Palestinian people in liberating their homeland. Ju-Hyun also said that Koreans and Palestinians have a common enemy and that they will have a common future when imperialism has fallen, and we have built socialism in its stead. In addition, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation who attended the rally said: We do not just mourn our martyrs, we come here to be like our martyrs. Video of the rally was posted on the Instagram page of the Palestinian Youth Movement. Other organizations who participated in the event include: American Muslims for Palestine, New York 4 Palestine, Al-Awda NY, Samidoun, Within Our Lifetime, CUNY for Palestine, Palestinian Assembly Liberation. Click here or below to view the clip on MEMRI TV: Member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation: "They wish to threaten us, they wish to kill us, and they wish for us to be scared of the martyrs they make of the Palestinian people. [...] "We do not just mourn our martyrs, we come here to be like our martyrs. Don't we?" At Brooklyn 'No To Annexation' Rally, Speakers Call To Abolish Police, Israel, And U.S. Government, Crowd Chants: 'Death To America!', 'Millions Of Martyrs Are Marching To Jerusalem!'; Activist: 'F*ck The NYPD!' When A Precinct Or A Cop Car Burns, I Feel Closer To Palestine Within Our Lifetime, a NY-based pro-Palestinian organization, organized a Day of Rage rally against Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank. The event, which was called No to Annexation, was held in Brooklyn on July 1, 2020, and the video of the event was uploaded to the organizers' Facebook page. During the rally, an activist named Jamie from the pro-North Korea Nodutdol organization told the protestors that Palestine will be liberated, that Korea will be unified, and that the U.S. and its puppet governments will be no more. Another speaker, Amin Hosain of Decolonize This Place, an anti-gentrification movement, said that the police are the enemy and an impediment to the liberation of Palestine, and he said that when NYPD cop cars burn, a revolutionary country is being awakened. Dequi Kioni Sadiki, wife of former Black Panther Seko Odinga, said that the European Jews who force Palestinians into refugee camps, concentration camps, and killing fields are related to the Europeans who forced Africans into slavery and prison death camps. She added that Palestine must be free like the stolen land of North America, which she referred to as Turtle Island. A representative of the Puerto Rican New York Borica Resistance movement said that the police, Israel, and the U.S. government must be abolished. Nerdeen Kiswani from Within Our Lifetime said that Palestinians do not only want to return to Gaza and the West Bank, but that they want all of Palestine. Wrapped in a red flag, a man named Rob from the Party for Socialism and Liberation led the crowd in chant in Arabic: Death to Israel! Death to America! In addition, the crowd chanted: Millions of martyrs are marching to Jerusalem!... The gates of Al-Aqsa are made of iron – its gates will only be opened by a martyr... From Gaza to Minnesota, globalize the Intifada!... Black lives matter!... Not just annexation, not just occupation, fight for liberation – bring the whole thing down! For more about Nerdeen Kiswani and Within Our Lifetime, see MEMRI TV clips No. 6100, No. 6311, and No. 7628. Click here or below to view the clip on MEMRI TV: Within Our Lifetime, a NY-based pro-Palestinian organization, organized a "Day of Rage" rally against Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank. The event, which was called "No to Annexation," was held in Brooklyn on July 1, 2020, and the video of the event was uploaded to the organizers' Facebook page. During the rally, an activist named Jamie from the pro-North Korea Nodutdol organization told the protestors that Palestine will be liberated, that Korea will be unified, and that the U.S. and its puppet governments will be "no more." Another speaker, Amin Hosain of Decolonize This Place, an anti-gentrification movement, said that the police are the enemy and an impediment to the liberation of Palestine, and he said that when NYPD cop cars burn, a "revolutionary country" is being awakened. Rob, Party for Socialism and Liberation: "Death to Israel!" Crowd: "Death to Israel!" Rob: "Death to America!" Crowd: "Death to America!"
Memri
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Memri
The MEMRI Weekly: April 11-18, 2025
The following are links to reports from MEMRI's Special Dispatch Series and Inquiry and Analysis Series , as well as to transcripts from the MEMRI TV Project , released during the past week. MEMRI REPORTS Inquiry and Analysis No. 1829 - The Qatar Weekly Update (QWU) – Part Of The Qatar Monitor Project (QMP) – No. 15, April 18, 2025, April 17, 2025 Special Dispatch No. 11932 - Conference Of Islamic Clerics In Pakistan Calls For Jihad Against Israel: 'The Entire Region, Including Israel, Is The Ancestral Homeland Of Palestinians... America, If It Wants, Can Settle The Israelis Anywhere Else', April 17, 2025 Special Dispatch No. 11931 - Once Again, Dearborn Michigan Celebrates International Quds Day – Established By Iran, Which Calls For Israel's Destruction – As It Has For The Past Two Decades; Following Last Year's Calls Of 'Death To America' In Dearborn, The City And Its Media Accomplices Try To Conceal This Year's Events, April 17, 2025 Special Dispatch No. 11930 - Articles In Egyptian Government Daily 'Al-Ahram' Oppose Disarming Hamas: It Would Enable Israel To Annex Gaza And Expel Its Residents, April 17, 2025 Special Dispatch No. 11929 - Dearborn Heights Fundraiser And Poetry Night For Palestine, Organized With Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM): This American Empire Must Fall; People Here Are Willing To Fight And Put Their Lives On The Line To Bring Western Empires Down, April 16, 2025 Special Dispatch No. 11928 - Anti-Israel Rhetoric Increases In Egypt As It Receives A $7.5 Billion Grant From Qatar: Israel Is An Eternal Enemy And Rejector Of Peace, April 16, 2025 Special Dispatch No. 11927 - Afghan Taliban Website Alleges Israeli-American Conspiracy To Create Greater Israel: 'Jews Believe That They Must Destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque, Build The Temple Of Solomon In Its Place, And Establish... Greater Israel From The Nile To The Euphrates', April 15, 2025 Special Dispatch No. 11926 - Jaber Al-Harmi, Editor Of Qatari Government Daily 'Al-Sharq,' In Antisemitic Post: 'The Hour Of Judgement Will Not Come Until We Fight The Jews And Kill Them', April 15, 2025 MEMRI Daily Brief No. 753 - Two Full Years (And Counting) Of Hell In Sudan, April 15, 2025 MEMRI Daily Brief No. 752 - Is Lifting Sanctions Enough For Reconstruction In Syria?, April 14, 2025 MEMRI TV MONITOR PROJECT MEMRI TV Clip No. 11954 - Lebanese Sunni Islamic Scholar Aboubaker Zahabi In Beirut Protest: We Say To The 'Sons Of Zion' – Our Religion Is The Religion Of Jihad; We Will Come To You And Slaughter You, Al-Quds Al-Youm TV (Palestine - Islamic Jihad) MEMRI TV Clip No. 11953 - Jordanian Researcher Fatima Alsmadi Of The Qatari Al-Jazeera Center For Studies Praises Security Personnel Who Attacked Israelis: Jordanians Still See Israel As An Enemy Despite The Peace Agreement – I Believe The Jordanian Military Will Eventually Clash With Israel, Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar) MEMRI TV Clip No. 11952 - Director Of NY Muslim American Society (MAS) Youth Center Mohammad Badawy: We Eagerly Await The Day Al-Aqsa Mosque Is Free And The 'Illegitimate Zionist Occupiers' Are Destroyed; Holiday Greetings To Those Who Resist 'By Any Means Necessary', Online Platforms MEMRI TV Clip No. 11951 - Michigan Real Estate Investor Saumik Amin Discusses Plans For A 'Muslim Village' On Podcast: We Raised $6.8 Million In 40 Minutes; 75% Of Resident Service Fees Will Go To The Mosque; Streets Will Be Named After Islamic Conquerors; Christians Will Be Advised Not To Live There; I Hired Unbeliever Lawyers, With Names Like 'John Smith' To Submit The Applications (Archival), Online Platforms MEMRI TV Clip No. 11950 - Tehran-Based Lebanese Researcher Hakam Amhaz: If Iran's Nuclear Facilities Are Attacked, It Will Be Forced To Produce Nuclear Weapons Or Worse; Iran Reportedly Already Possesses A 'Plasma Weapon', Online Platforms MEMRI TV Clip No. 11949 - Dearborn Heights Fundraiser And Poetry Night For Palestine, Organized With Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM): This American Empire Must Fall; People Here Are Willing To Fight And Put Their Lives On The Line To Bring Western Empires Down, Online Platforms MEMRI TV Clip No. 11948 - Egyptian Comedian And YouTuber Youssef Hussein, AKA Joe Show: I Can't Blame Hizbullah For Its Collapse And Failure To Do Enough For Gaza And Palestine – Because Egypt Has Effectively Joined The Ranks Of The Enemy, Al-Rabiaa TV (Iraq) MEMRI TV Clip No. 11947 - American Muslims For Palestine (AMP) Chair Dr. Hatem Bazian At UC San Diego In May 2024: Our Fight For A Free Palestine Is A Fight Against Racism, Islamophobia, And Antisemitism; Those Who Threaten The ICJ Are On The Take Of ADL, AIPAC, Online Platforms
Memri
17-04-2025
- General
- Memri
MEMRI TV Compilation Of Imams In The West Espousing Anti-Christian Hate And Islamic-Inspired Supremacy: 'The Religion Of Christianity As It Is Today Is A Pagan Religion'; 'The Churches Are Emptying Out'
This compilation presents clips from the MEMRI TV Sermons by Imams in the West project in which imams and Islamic scholars disparage Christians and Christianity, and even pray to Allah "to annihilate" the Christians. They talk about Christians abandoning their religion and assert that what they are seeking is Islam; they call Christians pagans, especially since they attribute a son to Allah; they steer worshipers away from "this interfaith nonsense" and discuss Allah's "anger" with Christians as "misguided" and as "collaborating" with the Jews; they emphasize how Muslims must never befriend Christians and instruct them to "teach your children to hate everything about them"; they stress that Christianity gives you a pass on your sins, so it cannot possibly "produce good citizens," and more. The compilation, which is part of a larger study that will be published soon, features clips that are largely from October 7 to date. To view the entire compilation featuring all of the clips, click here or below: Highlights From The Compilation In his June 21, 2024 Friday sermon at the Islamic Center of Lafayette, Louisiana, the imam prays, "Oh Allah, annihilate the Jews and the Chris... Oh Allah, annihilate the Jews and their helpers... Oh Allah, count them, kill them one by one, and do not spare a single one of them, oh Lord of Mankind." At the North West Indiana Islamic Center on December 8, 2023, Imam Sheikh Mongy El-Quesny called on Allah to "bring annihilation upon... the criminal and spiteful Crusaders," among others, asking specifically, "oh Allah, count them, kill them one by one, and do not leave a single one of them alive." In his Friday sermon for June 21, 2024, Imam Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, stated that "a lot of Christians are leaving their faith, especially the younger generation. The churches are emptying out," asserts that "Islam is the answer for them," and added that "we have bought three churches so far and converted them into mosques." He further said that "100 years ago, they invaded the Muslim world and built missionary schools and destroyed Islamic schools" and that now " and that "today we bring the favor back and turn their churches into mosques." The imam at the Muslim American Society (MAS) Bronx Muslim Center said in his July 12, 2024 Friday sermon that churches are "losing their congregation and their flock, so much that they had to open the doors for the LGBT." He added that the Christians "have reasons to be jealous of us." An Islamist influencer told a group of young teen boys at the Dearborn Community Center on October 11, 2024 that "Allah has sent us to these nations to civilize them." He went on to say that "their religions are dying" – so much so that churches "had to change their religion" and "hang the LGBT flags." Allah, he added, "has sent us to guide these people from the darkness into the light." Also, in his December 6, 2024 Friday sermon, Imam Haroon Sait of Charlotte, NC asserted that in 50 years, "Muslims will become the No. 1 religious group compared to Christians." He added that it was the "easiest thing to do" to approach "Christians with the message of Islam." In Orlando, FL on December 20, 2024, Abu Usama At-Thahabi said in his Friday sermon that "the religion of Christianity as it is today is a pagan religion... P-A-G-A-N," and that "Christians are paganists." He went on to say that "they think they're believers but they are not believers." In his sermon on December 6, 2024 in Clifton, NJ, Mohammed Hassaballah said that "the Christians today are open idolators" by "openly associating partners, equals, competitors" with Allah. Her urged Muslims to "express your might" and "express your strength" when dealing with the Christian "enemy" and to "overtake" them. In his January 3, 2025 Friday sermon in Baltimore, Imam Yahya Al-Baltimoori stressed to worshipers that the People of the Book – Christians and Jews – are nevertheless kaffirs and warned, "Do not let people on the internet convince you that somehow Jews, Muslims, and Christians are all in the same group, that we are all believers" and that "only one of these groups – that would be us, the Muslims... are actually following the religion of the prophet Ibrahim [Abraham]." In his December 20, 2024 Friday sermon at Dar Al-Salam Islamic Center in Westland, Michigan, Imam Abdel-Halim Shaout said that "the Christians celebrate the so-called birth of Jesus, which is a pagan holiday." He added that at Christmas they celebrate, "claiming that Allah, the praised and exalted, has a wife and a child." Stating that Allah's "wrath is upon them" and exhorting worshipers, "Do not fall for this interfaith nonsense," he concludes: "By Allah, if Jesus was alive, he would do nothing but follow our messenger Muhammad." In an April 19, 2024 lecture in Fort Lauderdale, FL, an Islamic scholar claimed that while "the Jews orchestrated everything against the Muslims" throughout history, it was the Christians "who executed." Allah is angry and upset with the Jews, he said, followed by "the misguided ones" – the Christians, "because they always follow them." He emphasized that "right here, in the country where we live, look what the Zionist Christians are doing." Ghaith Arodaki, in his December 29, 2023 Friday sermon at the Islamic Center of Frisco, TX, said that five times a day "we recite the Al-Fatiha chapter of the Quran... and at the end, we recite: 'Guide us along the Straight Path, the Path of those You have blessed – not those who have incurred Your wrath, or those who were misguided.'" He added that "those who were misguided' are "said to be the Christians." In his December 8, 2023 Friday sermon, Imam Hanif Fouse of Philadelphia said that Christians are complicit with, agree with, and support the Jews, with whom Allah is angry because they killed the prophets. The Christians insult Allah because they claim he has a son, he stressed. In a video posted on YouTube on October 25, 2024 California Pakistani Islamic scholar Qazi Fazlullah quoted the Quran as saying, "Oh believers, do not take the Jews and Christians as allies." He went on to say: "Make them not protectors, or friends, secret keepers, depending on them, or trusting them" because "they are the allies of one another." Befriending them "goes against Islam and Muslims" and is "not allowed," he concluded. New Jersey imam Taufique Aziz said on April 14, 2020 urged his audience, "Do not take the Jews and Christians as your close friends. This is a command from Allah." No matter "how kind he is," he stressed, "you do not sacrifice your Islam" in such a friendship. In a similar message on March 10, 2020, Philadelphia Muslim scholar Nafis Abu Zayd emphasized to his audience that the "Christians will never be pleased with you unless you follow their way" and that "it is not permissible for believers [Muslims] to take the nonbelievers as friends." In a Friday sermon at the Fort Hamilton Islamic Society of Bay Ridge in Brooklyn on January 12, 2024, the speaker said that "the Christians, who are complicit [with the Jews] and agree and support them – they insult Allah" because they "attribute to Allah a son" and added: "What good can be expected from people whose hearts are corrupt?" He concluded: "Let us take these lessons and teach it to our children. Teach them to hate everything about kufr: the holidays, the dress, the manners, and everything..." Imam Dr. Fadi Yousef Kablawi, ad the North Miami Islamic Center, said in a video posted June 5 2020 that "the very first problem" in America is Christianity, and that this is "the main reason for what we see happening in this country." He added, "Europe is not any better." Christianity, he says, gives you a pass on your sins. He asked how "such a religion will create good citizens." The solution, he said, is "Islam. Islam" On November 6, 2020, Imam Shaker Elsayed of the well-known Dar Al-Hijra Islamic Center in Virginia discussed the question of why Muslims "are full of hate against the West or Christianity or Judaism." He explained: "Many of the People of the Book – they wish to turn you back as kuffar after you have believed. They want you to be like them. They want you to be a Christian or a Jew." In a similar vein, Sheikh Abu Usama At-Thahabi said in Orlando, FL on May 17, 2024: "In Islam, we do not resemble the non-Muslims – Jews, Christians, or anybody else." He went on to say that "he [Muhammad] didn't want to be like the Yahud [Jews]. He didn't want to be like the Christians. He didn't want to be like the mushrikoon, the polytheists, the pagans of Mecca. He wanted the Muslims to be unique and distinct." In his Friday sermon in Union City, NJ on December 15, 2023, Imam Mohamed Moussa said that "we need... to take advantage of" the war following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel "in order to show the world how false their [Christians'] values are and how these values have discriminated between the blacks and the whites, as well as between different sects within their own [Christian] religion – between the Protestants, the Catholics, and the Orthodox." He then asserted that "humanity can only be saved if the values of Islam rule."
Memri
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Prominent Russian Imam Wisam Bardawil, Who Reportedly Founded Muslim Brotherhood Cell In Russia, Disseminates Hamas Propaganda On Social Media, Glorifies The 'Martyrdom' Of His Uncle, Top Hamas Official And Russia Liaison Salah Bardawil, Who Was Killed By Israeli Drone Strike
A prominent Russian imam, Wisam Al-Bardawil (sometimes spelled Visam Bardvil), published a Facebook post on March 23, 2025, mourning his uncle Salah Bardawil, a senior member of Hamas's political bureau who was killed that day in an Israeli drone strike (for more about Salah Bardawil, see MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11891 – Hamas Official Salah Bardawil, Recently Killed In Gaza – Clips From The MEMRI TV Archives). Salah Bardawil headed Hamas's planning and development office and led strategic and military planning in the Gaza Strip. According to some reports, Bardawil also facilitated contact between Hamas and Russian authorities. [1] In his Facebook post, Wisam Al-Bardawil commented on the killing of his uncle, writing in Russian: "My uncle and his wife are martyrs – shahids". The following report expands on the Hamas-affiliated Russian imam's jihadi links and dissemination of Hamas content on social media. Wisam Bardawil (source: Instagram) Background: Russia-Hamas Relations The Kremlin examines the Middle East closely, and constantly. The Russian government has many times reiterated its support for the establishment of the Palestinian State with the capital in East Jerusalem. [2] The confrontation between Israel and Hamas the Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea (including the vessels of Russia's "shadow fleet" [3] ) threaten not only Russian influence in the region, but also petroleum exports, which are already curbed due to sanctions. Moscow's alienation and deterioration of the relations with the West prompted Russia's rapprochement with the "rogue states" and movements. This political course may have affected the Kremlin's stance on radical Islam. For instance, a delegation of the Afghan Taliban, which is on Russia's federal list of banned terrorist organizations, participated in the Moscow format meeting in 2023 [4] , then in 2024 – in St. Petersburg International Economic Forum [5] and even in the Forum of Ministers of Education in Kazan. [6] After the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Moscow did not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization – in fact, Russian contacts with the Islamic Resistance Movement intensified. [7] The movement's leaders have visited Russia on numerous occasions, including at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin. [8] There are concerns that the lenient state policy towards Islamist groups may lead to the infiltration of radical teachings into Russia, in particular among migrants from Central Asia. For example, Russian State Duma deputy Andrei Lugovoi on his Telegram account noted on April 7, 2025: "Among the migrants, there are those [individuals] who are fertile soil for [recruitment for] sabotage and terrorist attacks. In 2024, migrants recruited by radicals staged high-profile attacks: the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, the murder of General Kirillov, etc." [9] Christian Orthodox Bishop Patriarkh Kirill of Moscow, spoke at the session of the World Russian People's Council about the grave situation surrounding migration, and warned of the threat posed to the future of Russia in the form of "preachers of radical Islamism and extremism". [10] Wisam Bardawil's Facebook post on the "martyrdom" of his uncle, Hamas official Salah Bardawil. [11] Uzbek Authorities: Wisam Bardawil Founded Muslim Brotherhood Cell In Russia Uzbek authorities have claimed that Wisam Bardawil founded and headed a cell of the Islamist movement the Muslim Brotherhood in Russia. Despite these allegations, it appears that Russian authorities and media did not investigate the prominent imam, despite the 2003 designation by the Russian Supreme Court that the Muslim Brotherhood movement is a terrorist organization, and ruling that its activities are prohibited on Russian Federation territory. Bardawil has been linked to a Russia-based Uzbek Imam who was arrested in March 2016 while in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, for his involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood. The imam, Abdulaziz Khashimov, was found to be an operative for the Russian Muslim Brotherhood cell reportedly headed by Bardawil. Having served as imam of several mosques in Bukhara, Khashimov later moved to the Russian city of Murmansk, and was involved in recruiting labor migrants from Uzbekistan to join the cell in Russia. [12] Another link to the Muslim Brotherhood is Bardawil's role as Chairman of the Russia-registered Union of Islamic Organization, which was recently disbanded. [13] While the organization's website is defunct, its VKontakte account is still accessible. The posts suggest that the Union of Islamic Organizations was a partner of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) (at least until 2018), which was created by the Muslim Brotherhood. [14] One VKontakte post by the Union of Islamic Organizations reports that Bardawil represented Russia in a meeting of the Council of Chairmen of the FIOE organizations held in Istanbul on October 19-21, 2018. [15] Bardawil's organization also sent students to study at courses for religious leaders, organized by the FIOE. [16] Despite the Uzbek reports on his Muslim Brotherhood ties, Wisam Bardawil remains a high profile Muslim leader in Russia. Bardawil is a member of the board of trustees of the Solidarity Foundation, a Russian charity organization that provides assistance to those in need in Russia and abroad, in particular Syrian refugees and Palestinians. [17] He was a founding member and President of the now-defunct "Ihsan" charitable foundation. [18] He serves as imam of the Yuzhnoye Butovo Mosque, located in Moscow. In addition, Bardawil is a teacher of Islamic sciences and the Arabic language, and a member of the Council of Ulema of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia (DUM). He is the recipient of awards from the Russian Council of Muftis and the aforementioned DUM. Bardawil studied at the Faculty of Islamic Law of the European Institute of Human Sciences (Château-Chinon, France), attended various courses in Kuwait, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, and also enrolled in a course called "Management of Religious Organizations" at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation, which is the largest humanitarian university in Russia, located in Moscow, where many officials and high-profile administrative workers receive education or professional training. [19] Wisam Bardawil's Instagram post from November 2024, advertising his lecture on the History of the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th - 8th centuries at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. The poster for the lecture features Bardawil himself. [20] Pro-Jihadi Social Media Activity Bardawil is active on multiple social media networks. His Facebook account features posts in Russian and Arabic, and has around 700 followers and 4,800 friends. [21] He also regularly posts on Instagram, where he has approximately 2,600 followers [22] , and on VKontakte, with 1,300 followers. [23] Bardawil is most active on his YouTube channel (about 6,500 subscribers), where he posts Russian-language videos answering submitted theological questions and offering his opinions on historical, religious or political issues. [24] In total the channel features more than 500 video clips. In addition, the imam uses his YouTube channel to disseminate pro-jihadi and specifically pro-Hamas content. In a July 26, 2024 video on YouTube, discussing Palestinian refugees and the current war in Gaza,, Bardawil recalled the anti-Israeli protests by Palestinians on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel in 2018–2019, dubbed by Hamas as the "Great March of Return." [25] The Russian imam claimed that these protests were "peaceful," despite many instances of attacks on Israeli forces. Indeed, Russian RIA Novosti media reported that Palestinians tried to damage the barriers, threw stones and incendiary weapons. [26] Bardawil stated: "'The March of Return,' when Palestinians were returning... these were just peaceful marches... they reached the Israeli border. They [the Israeli military] simply killed people, they killed several hundreds of people, just like that..." [27] Wisam Bardawil on YouTube In another YouTube video, from August 24, 2024, the imam praised Gazans for their commitment to "victory" and their sacrifices. In his argument, Bardawil cited alleged Hungarian research, originally mentioned by his teacher, Kuwaiti Sheikh Jasem Al-Mutawa, claiming that the Gaza Strip had the best education for teenagers. He added that every family in the Gaza Strip has one goal: "to liberate our country, to liberate our people ... they [teenagers] are brought up in the spirit of great goals." He continued: "Death and destruction do not affect their conviction that the victory is on their side, and every drop of blood spilled is a contribution to this victory," he concluded, describing this as among the "benefits" of Gaza education. [28] On March 24, 2024, on his YouTube channel, Bardawil reiterated a conspiracy theory: that Israel strives to "cleanse" the Gaza Strip of its native population. The Imam connects the war against Hamas to Surah 17 of the Quran, Al-Isra' "We believe that what Allah Almighty promised in Surah Al-Isara' will now happen, and the battles that are happening now are part of that war, [… ]as a result of which, Allah the Almighty will give His slaves victory over the arrogance and atrocities of the people of Israel […]there is no doubt about it at all," claimed Bardawil. [29] On November 8, 2023, Bardawil posted a YouTube video in which he called the war in the Middle East a "jihad." Though he dissuaded Russian Muslims from joining the hostilities in the Gaza Strip, noting that Russian legislation prevents mercenaryism, he urged them to support jihad through other means: humanitarian aid, dissemination of "true" information, and political action. He also praised the stance of the Russian leadership on the conflict, as the Russians "condemned Israel's aggression." [30] [1] March 25, 2025. [2] See for example: 28, 2023; Russian Foreign Ministry, Speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs S. V. Lavrov at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, October 28, 2024. [3] The "Russian shadow fleet" refers to the vessels used by Russia to circumvent international sanctions introduced after the start of Russo-Ukrainian war. [4] October 25, 2023. [5] RIA Novosti media, June 5, 2024. [6] TASS media, June 10, 2024. [7] See for example: RBK media, September 12, 2022; October 26, 2023; Kommersant media, February 3, 2025. [8] March 3, 2006. [9] Andrei Lugovoi Telegram channel, April 7, 2025. [10] RBC media, November 28, 2024. [11] March 23, 2025. [12] Radio Ozodlik, May 5, 2016. [13] Rusprofile service. [14] 486932/Muslim_Brotherhood_Review_Main_Findings.pdf. [15] VKontakte, Union of Islamic Organizations, October 22, 2018. [16] See, for example: VKontakte, report two students from Russia and Belarus have completed their 3-year education at the course "Specialized qualification" for religious leaders, organized by the FIOE; VKontakte, report on Mufti of Karelia Abdul Aziz Dyatko and his wife, head of the educational department Maryam Kovaleva, successfully completed four-year advanced training courses organized by FIOE. [17] The Solidarity Foundation dubs the war against Hamas "genocidal war," alleges torture and kidnappings by Israeli soldiers ( [18] Charity Foundation for Support of the Needy "Ihsan" (Benevolence), was registered in Karelia (Russia) by Wisam Bardawil in 2007, the Union Islamic Organization was also registered in the same premises; in February of 2025 the fund was also liquidated. [19] website of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia. [20] November 26, 2024. [21] [22] [23] VKontakte. [24] [25] YouTube, July 26,/2024. [26] RIA, March 3, 2018. [27] YouTube, July 26, 2024. [28] , YouTube, August 24, 2024. [29] March 24, 2024. [30] November 8, 2023.
