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Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
After centuries of isolation, ultra-Orthodox Jews engage with the world more than ever
NEW YORK (AP) — Frieda Vizel left an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect in New York in a crisis of faith at 25. But instead of cutting ties, she became a successful online personality and guide to the tight-knit world she had been raised in. She gives sold-out tours of Williamsburg, Brooklyn — home base of the Satmar dynasty — and runs a popular YouTube channel focused on the subculture engaging more with the outside world after centuries of separation. In mid-June, Vizel took a group of Jewish , Christian and Muslim tourists to see synagogues and schools, and visit kosher delis and shops. Instead of Barbie dolls, there were little ultra-Orthodox Jewish figurines. The rabbinically approved products included cellphones without screens, and DVDs and MP3 players preloaded with approved music and films, so no internet connection is needed. Yet ultra-Orthodox men on the street offered friendly greetings and praise for Vizel's recent postings even though rabbis advise them to avoid the internet unless needed for business, family or other essential needs. 'It's an interesting moment,' Vizel said. 'They're saying, 'What is the whole world saying about us?'' Growth and religious change Williamsburg and a handful of other locations worldwide — from Monsey, New York, to Stamford Hill, London to Bnei Brak, Israel — host the strictest followers of Orthodox Judaism. In a minority religion it's a minority set apart by its dedication above all else to the Torah and its 613 commandments, from No. 1 — worshipping God — to less-followed measures like No. 568 — not cursing a head of state. One in seven Jews worldwide are strictly Orthodox, or Haredi. It's a population of roughly 2 million out of 15 million Jews, according to Daniel Staetsky, a demographer with the London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research. In a 2022 report, he projects that the strictly Orthodox population could double in size in 15 years. Another study projects that a third of American Jews will be Orthodox by 2063. Many in the community marry young and have large families. 'You're getting three generations of ultra-Orthodox for every two generations of Reform Jews in the U.S.,' said Alan Cooperman, director of religion research at the Pew Research Center. 'They are becoming the face of Judaism,' Vizel said. Reform and secular Jews It's happening while many Reform Jews in the U.S. are becoming less religious and intermarrying. That means that Jewish Americans as a whole are becoming either Orthodox or more secular, Cooperman said. 'There has been a major change, I think, that has taken place over the last generation or two and that is the polarization of American Jewry, much as we've seen the vast polarization of America as a whole,' said Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University . Among American Jews aged 18 to 29, 17% are Orthodox — a bigger share than in older generations, Pew found. And as a growing number of American Jews are Orthodox, a greater percent is Republican. Still, the majority of American Jews remain Democrats. The Pew Research Center found in 2020 that 75% of Orthodox Jews voted or leaned Republican . Walking out of Gottlieb's Restaurant with his salami sandwich, Samuel Sabel — a grocery store worker and journalist — said that 'a lot of the policies Republicans have go together with our beliefs,' citing school choice, and opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage as examples. Orthodox political activism is 'at the highest point it's ever been,' said Rabbi Avi Shafran, the retired director of public affairs at the Orthodox group Agudath Israel. 'No question about that.' 'There is time and money and ability and savvy and education that allows for a much more, aggressive, much more positive and active effort on political things,' he said. But while cultural issues are important, 'when push comes to shove, we'll vote our interests, our immediate interests, not the larger issues that are always on the table,' Shafran said. 'We are practical,' he said. 'Put it that way.' Politics — local, national and global Vizel guided her group past 'Get out the vote' signs in Yiddish, along with a campaign letter from Donald Trump in the window of Gottlieb's deli. In New York City's Democratic primary for the mayoral election, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo intensely courted Orthodox communities, counting at least 36 sects and yeshivas — religious schools — among his supporters. But Cuomo suffered a stunning upset at the hands of Zohran Mamdani in a demonstration of grassroots organizing over bloc voting. In Florida, Orthodox Jews backed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis before he signed a expansion of taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools, a movement that has galvanized religious groups across denominations. But the election this month for the World Zionist Congress — an international body predating Israel that controls more than 1,500 square miles (3885 square kilometers) of land there, along with about $1 billion a year from land sales — showed dominance by the Reform bloc despite intense campaigning by Orthodox parties and strong results ahead of coalition building. The 2020 Pew study found that Reform Jews are 37% of the American Jewish populace, followed by Jews that claim no particular branch — 32% —and then Conservatives at 17% . The Orthodox make up 9%. The president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish group in North America, said 'it's a mistake to assume unaffiliated Jews don't care about being Jewish — many do, and Reform Judaism often reflects their spiritual and moral values. 'Reform Jews continue to hold overwhelmingly liberal worldviews and political values,' Rabbi Rick Jacobs wrote. 'In the aftermath of October 7th, many have deepened their connection to Jewish peoplehood while remaining firmly committed to justice, equity, and peace through the Reform Movement.' Rabbi Pesach Lerner founded the Orthodox party Eretz Hakodesh five years ago to compete in the election for the World Zionist Congress. The main American party representing Reform Judaism in the Zionist Congress had a better individual showing than Lerner's in voting in the United States, but Orthodox parties did well and said they were optimistic that coalition-building would let them compete with traditional liberal Jewish interests. Reform Jews and their allies 'went so far to the left of traditional, of national, or family values, in 'wokeism,' that I'm glad the right finally decided that they can't sit back on the sidelines,' Lerner said. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. 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San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
After centuries of isolation, ultra-Orthodox Jews engage with the world more than ever
NEW YORK (AP) — Frieda Vizel left an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect in New York in a crisis of faith at 25. But instead of cutting ties, she became a successful online personality and guide to the tight-knit world she had been raised in. She gives sold-out tours of Williamsburg, Brooklyn — home base of the Satmar dynasty — and runs a popular YouTube channel focused on the subculture engaging more with the outside world after centuries of separation. In mid-June, Vizel took a group of Jewish, Christian and Muslim tourists to see synagogues and schools, and visit kosher delis and shops. Instead of Barbie dolls, there were little ultra-Orthodox Jewish figurines. The rabbinically approved products included cellphones without screens, and DVDs and MP3 players preloaded with approved music and films, so no internet connection is needed. Yet ultra-Orthodox men on the street offered friendly greetings and praise for Vizel's recent postings even though rabbis advise them to avoid the internet unless needed for business, family or other essential needs. 'It's an interesting moment,' Vizel said. 'They're saying, 'What is the whole world saying about us?'" Growth and religious change Williamsburg and a handful of other locations worldwide — from Monsey, New York, to Stamford Hill, London to Bnei Brak, Israel — host the strictest followers of Orthodox Judaism. In a minority religion it's a minority set apart by its dedication above all else to the Torah and its 613 commandments, from No. 1 — worshipping God — to less-followed measures like No. 568 — not cursing a head of state. One in seven Jews worldwide are strictly Orthodox, or Haredi. It's a population of roughly 2 million out of 15 million Jews, according to Daniel Staetsky, a demographer with the London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research. In a 2022 report, he projects that the strictly Orthodox population could double in size in 15 years. Another study projects that a third of American Jews will be Orthodox by 2063. Many in the community marry young and have large families. 'You're getting three generations of ultra-Orthodox for every two generations of Reform Jews in the U.S.,' said Alan Cooperman, director of religion research at the Pew Research Center. 'They are becoming the face of Judaism,' Vizel said. Reform and secular Jews It's happening while many Reform Jews in the U.S. are becoming less religious and intermarrying. That means that Jewish Americans as a whole are becoming either Orthodox or more secular, Cooperman said. 'There has been a major change, I think, that has taken place over the last generation or two and that is the polarization of American Jewry, much as we've seen the vast polarization of America as a whole,' said Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University. Among American Jews aged 18 to 29, 17% are Orthodox — a bigger share than in older generations, Pew found. And as a growing number of American Jews are Orthodox, a greater percent is Republican. Still, the majority of American Jews remain Democrats. The Pew Research Center found in 2020 that 75% of Orthodox Jews voted or leaned Republican. Walking out of Gottlieb's Restaurant with his salami sandwich, Samuel Sabel — a grocery store worker and journalist — said that 'a lot of the policies Republicans have go together with our beliefs,' citing school choice, and opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage as examples. Orthodox political activism is 'at the highest point it's ever been,' said Rabbi Avi Shafran, the retired director of public affairs at the Orthodox group Agudath Israel. 'No question about that.' 'There is time and money and ability and savvy and education that allows for a much more, aggressive, much more positive and active effort on political things,' he said. But while cultural issues are important, 'when push comes to shove, we'll vote our interests, our immediate interests, not the larger issues that are always on the table,' Shafran said. 'We are practical,' he said. 'Put it that way.' Politics — local, national and global Vizel guided her group past 'Get out the vote' signs in Yiddish, along with a campaign letter from Donald Trump in the window of Gottlieb's deli. In New York City's Democratic primary for the mayoral election, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo intensely courted Orthodox communities, counting at least 36 sects and yeshivas — religious schools — among his supporters. But Cuomo suffered a stunning upset at the hands of Zohran Mamdani in a demonstration of grassroots organizing over bloc voting. In Florida, Orthodox Jews backed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis before he signed a expansion of taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools, a movement that has galvanized religious groups across denominations. But the election this month for the World Zionist Congress — an international body predating Israel that controls more than 1,500 square miles (3885 square kilometers) of land there, along with about $1 billion a year from land sales — showed dominance by the Reform bloc despite intense campaigning by Orthodox parties and strong results ahead of coalition building. The 2020 Pew study found that Reform Jews are 37% of the American Jewish populace, followed by Jews that claim no particular branch — 32% —and then Conservatives at 17% . The Orthodox make up 9%. The president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish group in North America, said 'it's a mistake to assume unaffiliated Jews don't care about being Jewish — many do, and Reform Judaism often reflects their spiritual and moral values. 'Reform Jews continue to hold overwhelmingly liberal worldviews and political values,' Rabbi Rick Jacobs wrote. 'In the aftermath of October 7th, many have deepened their connection to Jewish peoplehood while remaining firmly committed to justice, equity, and peace through the Reform Movement.' Rabbi Pesach Lerner founded the Orthodox party Eretz Hakodesh five years ago to compete in the election for the World Zionist Congress. The main American party representing Reform Judaism in the Zionist Congress had a better individual showing than Lerner's in voting in the United States, but Orthodox parties did well and said they were optimistic that coalition-building would let them compete with traditional liberal Jewish interests.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
After centuries of isolation, ultra-Orthodox Jews engage with the world more than ever
NEW YORK (AP) — Frieda Vizel left an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect in New York in a crisis of faith at 25. But instead of cutting ties, she became a successful online personality and guide to the tight-knit world she had been raised in. She gives sold-out tours of Williamsburg, Brooklyn — home base of the Satmar dynasty — and runs a popular YouTube channel focused on the subculture engaging more with the outside world after centuries of separation. In mid-June, Vizel took a group of Jewish, Christian and Muslim tourists to see synagogues and schools, and visit kosher delis and shops. Instead of Barbie dolls, there were little ultra-Orthodox Jewish figurines. The rabbinically approved products included cellphones without screens, and DVDs and MP3 players preloaded with approved music and films, so no internet connection is needed. Yet ultra-Orthodox men on the street offered friendly greetings and praise for Vizel's recent postings even though rabbis advise them to avoid the internet unless needed for business, family or other essential needs. 'It's an interesting moment,' Vizel said. 'They're saying, 'What is the whole world saying about us?'' Growth and religious change Williamsburg and a handful of other locations worldwide — from Monsey, New York, to Stamford Hill, London to Bnei Brak, Israel — host the strictest followers of Orthodox Judaism. In a minority religion it's a minority set apart by its dedication above all else to the Torah and its 613 commandments, from No. 1 — worshipping God — to less-followed measures like No. 568 — not cursing a head of state. One in seven Jews worldwide are strictly Orthodox, or Haredi. It's a population of roughly 2 million out of 15 million Jews, according to Daniel Staetsky, a demographer with the London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research. In a 2022 report, he projects that the strictly Orthodox population could double in size in 15 years. Another study projects that a third of American Jews will be Orthodox by 2063. Many in the community marry young and have large families. 'You're getting three generations of ultra-Orthodox for every two generations of Reform Jews in the U.S.,' said Alan Cooperman, director of religion research at the Pew Research Center. 'They are becoming the face of Judaism,' Vizel said. Reform and secular Jews It's happening while many Reform Jews in the U.S. are becoming less religious and intermarrying. That means that Jewish Americans as a whole are becoming either Orthodox or more secular, Cooperman said. 'There has been a major change, I think, that has taken place over the last generation or two and that is the polarization of American Jewry, much as we've seen the vast polarization of America as a whole,' said Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University. Among American Jews aged 18 to 29, 17% are Orthodox — a bigger share than in older generations, Pew found. And as a growing number of American Jews are Orthodox, a greater percent is Republican. Still, the majority of American Jews remain Democrats. The Pew Research Center found in 2020 that 75% of Orthodox Jews voted or leaned Republican. Walking out of Gottlieb's Restaurant with his salami sandwich, Samuel Sabel — a grocery store worker and journalist — said that 'a lot of the policies Republicans have go together with our beliefs,' citing school choice, and opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage as examples. Orthodox political activism is 'at the highest point it's ever been,' said Rabbi Avi Shafran, the retired director of public affairs at the Orthodox group Agudath Israel. 'No question about that.' 'There is time and money and ability and savvy and education that allows for a much more, aggressive, much more positive and active effort on political things,' he said. But while cultural issues are important, 'when push comes to shove, we'll vote our interests, our immediate interests, not the larger issues that are always on the table,' Shafran said. 'We are practical,' he said. 'Put it that way.' Politics — local, national and global Vizel guided her group past 'Get out the vote' signs in Yiddish, along with a campaign letter from Donald Trump in the window of Gottlieb's deli. In New York City's Democratic primary for the mayoral election, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo intensely courted Orthodox communities, counting at least 36 sects and yeshivas — religious schools — among his supporters. But Cuomo suffered a stunning upset at the hands of Zohran Mamdani in a demonstration of grassroots organizing over bloc voting. In Florida, Orthodox Jews backed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis before he signed a expansion of taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools, a movement that has galvanized religious groups across denominations. But the election this month for the World Zionist Congress — an international body predating Israel that controls more than 1,500 square miles (3885 square kilometers) of land there, along with about $1 billion a year from land sales — showed dominance by the Reform bloc despite intense campaigning by Orthodox parties and strong results ahead of coalition building. The 2020 Pew study found that Reform Jews are 37% of the American Jewish populace, followed by Jews that claim no particular branch — 32% —and then Conservatives at 17% . The Orthodox make up 9%. The president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish group in North America, said 'it's a mistake to assume unaffiliated Jews don't care about being Jewish — many do, and Reform Judaism often reflects their spiritual and moral values. 'Reform Jews continue to hold overwhelmingly liberal worldviews and political values,' Rabbi Rick Jacobs wrote. 'In the aftermath of October 7th, many have deepened their connection to Jewish peoplehood while remaining firmly committed to justice, equity, and peace through the Reform Movement.' Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Rabbi Pesach Lerner founded the Orthodox party Eretz Hakodesh five years ago to compete in the election for the World Zionist Congress. The main American party representing Reform Judaism in the Zionist Congress had a better individual showing than Lerner's in voting in the United States, but Orthodox parties did well and said they were optimistic that coalition-building would let them compete with traditional liberal Jewish interests. Reform Jews and their allies 'went so far to the left of traditional, of national, or family values, in 'wokeism,' that I'm glad the right finally decided that they can't sit back on the sidelines,' Lerner said. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
CBS News
18-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
When does Passover end this year?
It's almost the end of Passover, which means many Jewish people will be asking the annual question: When does the holiday end in 2025? This year, Passover ends after sundown on April 20. Many Reform Jews or those living in Israel will end Passover on April 19. Passover commemorates the story of Exodus, in which the Israelites escaped slavery in ancient Egypt. The holiday is observed with a Seder, a ritual meal with symbolic food where the story of Passover is told and passed down to the next generation. During Passover, Jews do not eat leavened bread. As they fled Egypt, there was not time to wait for their dough to rise. So they carried it on their backs, and it baked in the sun, resulting in matzo. In the Chicago area, more than 200 Holocaust survivors gathered last week to mark the start of Passover this year. The Seder was hosted at a synagogue in Deerfield, Illinois. "Working with the Holocaust survivors lets us realize that history can repeat itself if we're not careful," volunteer Laurie Gordon-Shaw said, "and so to me, it's important, again, to educate people about the importance of this holiday." Lisa Rozner contributed to this report.
Memri
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Amid Widespread LGBTQ+ Support For Palestinians And Even Hamas Since October 7, Extremist Imams In U.S. Express Their Ongoing Support For Islamic Punishments For Homosexuality – Including Throwing From Roofs, Stoning To Death, Chopping Off Body Parts
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, a large part of the organized LGBTQ+ community, which historically has received backing from the Jewish community, has chosen sides, as shown by its pro-Palestinian anti-Israel activity. Jews and supporters of Israel have been ostracized by the LGBTQ+ community even though, beginning with the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, they have been deeply involved in activism and provided support for organizations advancing women's rights, racial equality, and reproductive freedom, as well as for LGBTQ+ rights. But now, many Jews involved in this activism feel betrayed , rejected, and cancelled, as their onetime comrades at best remained silent in the face of Hamas's October 7 atrocities and at worst turned against them and expressed full support for pro-Palestinian groups – and even for Hamas and other designated terrorist organizations. In an October 2024 interview, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, expressed his deep disappointment at the growing rift between progressive Jewish communities and leftist allies in the U.S.: "It's painful to see people we thought of as friends turn away." Describing the "heartbreak" experienced by Reform Jews as former allies stood with pro-Palestinian causes without condemning Hamas, including less than 24 hours after the attack, he added, "[T]his was not solidarity with Palestinians or a call for peace – it was open support for Hamas. That's something I think is unimaginable for any decent person." To understand how this has been playing out in the political arena, look at Michigan. In 2015, the city of Hamtramck elected the first Muslim-majority city council in the U.S., in an election applauded by and with support from liberals and progressives. Then, in June 2023, the council voted unanimously to ban LGBTQ+ flags from the city. Now, "there's a sense of betrayal," former Hamtramck mayor Karen Majewski said. "We supported you when you were threatened, and now our rights are threatened, and you're the one doing the threatening." She added , "I have been told by many that they (LGBTQ+ people) don't feel safe here anymore." Setting Today's Standard – The Landmark 2015 MEMRI Study Explored Endorsement And Promotion, By Influential Sheikhs Across The U.S. And The West, Of Shari'a Death Penalty For Homosexuals – A Penalty Implemented By ISIS In Its Caliphate A landmark MEMRI study published in 2015 examined how, according to most interpretations of shari'a , homosexuality is punishable by death, particularly by stoning, beheading, and throwing the accused men off of high buildings. It went on to document how ISIS was implementing shari'a in its treatment of homosexuals in the caliphate: public execution of men convicted by its judicial system of homosexuality in Iraq and Syria, with stoning or, most commonly, first by throwing them from high buildings and, if they survive, shooting or stoning, often with the participation of spectators. The report also underlined how these actions by ISIS were justified by extremist imams at mosques in the U.S. and the West broadly, as well as by affiliates of nongovernmental organizations with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Well-known Sunni Muslim authorities, sheikhs, professors, and Muslim Brotherhood leaders who have a great deal of influence among millions of Muslims around the world, including in the U.S. and the West, have all justified this Islamic approach. Most notable of these are: the late Qatar-based Sunni authority Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, who headed the International Union of Muslim Scholars and had his own TV show, Sharia and Life, for many years on Al-Jazeera; Kuwaiti Islamic preacher and Muslim Brotherhood leader Tareq Al-Suwaidan, who, after living in and establishing mosques and Islamic schools in the U.S., is now banned from the country; Saudi cleric and Islamic University professor 'Abd Al-Qader Shiba Al-Hamad; and many others. Statements and teachings about the death penalty for homosexuality are found in Muslim school curricula, on mainstream Arab television including Al-Jazeera, and in sermons in mosques across the Arab and Muslim world; they are also cited by Muslim authorities in the West. The report drew the connection between these sheikhs' teachings and the execution of homosexuals by stoning, shooting, beheading, and throwing from high buildings by ISIS and Al-Qaeda in jihadi-controlled territory. ISIS also used U.S. social media, particularly Twitter, to disseminate to its supporters photos and video of its executions of homosexuals. These punishments are discussed to this day by jihadis online in their reminiscences about life in the ISIS caliphate. On October 31, 2024, the pro-ISIS Bariqah News Agency posted an archival photo of a man being thrown from the roof of a building in Mosul along with photos of the building today, The post stated that in the days of the ISIS caliphate, this building had been used for carrying out Quranic punishments against "perpetrators of the abomination of the people of Lot" – that is, homosexuals. It also criticized Al-Qaeda for implementing punishments not specified in the Quran, such as flogging and imprisonment. Promotion of these Quranic edicts has been documented over the years in both the Arab and Muslim world and in the West. Controversy erupted over comments by Dr. Awadh Binhazim, at the time an adjunct associate professor in pathology and the Muslim chaplain at Vanderbilt University, in February 2010, when he said when asked in a Q&A session with students whether he accepted that homosexuality was punishable by death. He grudgingly admitted, "I don't have a choice as a Muslim to accept or reject teachings. I go with what Islam teaches." Asked point blank by a student if homosexuality is punishable by death under Islamic law, he replied "Yes." The Influence Of Leading Islamist Figures In The West Promoting The Death Penalty For Homosexuals Many of the religious figures who regularly promote the death penalty for homosexuality are influential in the U.S. and the West. One of them is Kuwaiti Islamic preacher and Muslim Brotherhood leader Tareq Al-Suwaidan, who established many Muslim organizations and mosques in the U.S.; his support for jihad eventually led to him being barred from entering the country. He frequently speaks via Zoom to audiences in mosques, Islamic centers, and Islamic schools in the U.S. A popular Islamic television preacher and motivational speaker, he was formerly general manager of Al-Resala TV, an Islamic channel broadcasting from Kuwait, but was removed from the post by the prince in August 2013 after he declared that he was a Muslim Brotherhood leader. Forbes Arabia, the Arabic edition of Forbes magazine, ranked him second in annual net income among Islamic preachers in the world. He was also recently mentioned among the 500 most influential Muslims in the world. As of this writing, he has 9.7 million followers on X (formerly Twitter) and 8.3 million on Facebook. Discussing Islamic law and how homosexuals should be punished, Al-Suwaidan said on Qatar TV: "Anyone committing sodomy, kill both the sodomizer and the sodomized. The clerics have decided how a homosexual should be killed. They said he should be stoned to death. Some clerics said he should be thrown off a mountain... Governments and countries must enforce the law strictly against anyone committing such an abomination... this could cause the deviation of society as a whole..." Another figure, Islamist sheikh Sa'd Al-'Inzi, said on Kuwait's Al-Rai TV, which bills itself as a family channel: "An abominable act, like homosexuality, for example, or lesbianism, in the case of women's parlors – this constitutes 'spreading corruption in the land,' and should be punished by death." He added: "According to Islamic law, a homosexual should be thrown from a tall building... To be honest, death is too good for them. They should be gathered in a public place, to be flogged and tortured, so the truth about these people is made clear and they serve as a lesson to others, because they are an epidemic plaguing society." The late Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader and chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi – a darling of Western academia who was once labeled the single most influential living Sunni Islamist figure and was considered mainstream by many in the West – discussed at length the death penalty for homosexuals. Stating that Western politicians flatter "homosexuals and nudists" to win votes instead of telling them "you are sinning against yourselves, against society, and against humanity," he added that "this is forbidden" and added that the punishment for homosexuality is death: "The schools of thought disagree about the punishment. Some say they should be punished like fornicators, and then we distinguish between married and unmarried men, and between married and unmarried women. Some say both should be punished the same way. Some say we should throw them from a high place, like God did with the people of Sodom. Some say we should burn them, and so on. There is disagreement." Qaradhawi, who died in 2022, was very influential among Muslim Brotherhood-linked mosques and Islamist organizations in the U.S. Again, the measures against homosexuals called for by Qaradhawi were standard practice in the ISIS caliphate. In a Saudi TV interview, Saudi cleric 'Abd Al-Qader Shiba Al-Hamad, a teacher at the Al-Nabawi Mosque in Al-Madina, called homosexuality "a great corruption" and added: "Our Lord was not satisfied, when He tortured the tribe of Lot, with merely killing or burning them. Since what they do goes against human nature, [according to the Quran] 'We turned the city upside down and rained upon them brimstones hard as clay'... When the Prophet's Companions received word that some in Greater Syria were committing this heinous crime... [One group of them said]: Let's climb to the top of the highest mountain and roll them down the mountain until they are killed, just like when Allah turned [Sodom and Gomorrah] upside down." Similarly, Egyptian TV host Hala Samir argued on her show on the Turkey-based Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood channel Watan TV, that Islam's Prophet Muhammad had said: "If you find men engaged in a homosexual act – kill the active one as well as the passive one." She added: "Don't start asking: 'Are you active or passive?' Just kill both." The only disagreement on this matter among the Companions of the Prophet concerned how to put them to death – whether it should be by burning them alive, throwing them from a high place and then stoning them, or just stoning them. In a Friday sermon, Palestinian Islamic scholar Sheikh Yousef Abu Islam criticized Pride Month and said that when Allah "decided to punish homosexuals, He said that they should be thrown head first from the rooftop of the tallest building, and then they should be stoned from the top." He added: "If we do not stand together against this great abomination, you will live to see [the Angel] Gabriel uprooting seven cities, lifting them to the skies, and then tossing them down to the ground, and this would be followed by stoning." Another example of calls on Arab television for putting homosexuals to death aired on Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV, when Syrian scholar Muhammad Rateb Al-Nabulsi said: "Homosexuality involves a filthy place, and does not generate offspring. Homosexuality leads to the destruction of the homosexual. That is why, brothers, homosexuality carries the death penalty. There are thousands of notions around the world, according to which a homosexual is a normal person with homosexual genes." Since October 7, Extremist Imams And Muslim Organizations In The U.S. And West Are Cutting Ties With And Denouncing Their Onetime LGBTQ+ Allies Just as progressives rejected their Jewish comrades in the wake of October 7, extremist mosques and their imams, as well as Muslim organizations whose strategy over the past decade included allying with the LGBTQ+ community, have turned against that community. In sermons and statements, and unbeknownst to their LGBTQ+ allies, they are expressing their disgust at homosexuality in terms that could be considered incitement to violence. Examples abound; some can be seen in this MEMRI TV video compilation – in a shorter version and a long version. These calls for killing homosexuals, including throwing them from rooftops, have influenced imams in the U.S. In a June 2022 Friday sermon at the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City in Missouri, local Islamic scholar Abdullah Bayazid stressed that Islam dictates that they must be killed: "And also the Prophet said: 'Anyone you find performing the act of Lot, kill the active and the passive one.' This is our religion, this is our shari'a, until Judgment Day... If we have an Islamic government and an Islamic ruling and there is somebody who is fornicating or doing the work of those homosexuality... The rule of Islam is for him to be killed – both of them." Florida Imam: "Some People Can Be Punished By Chopping, You Know... Corporal Punishment... It Doesn't Necessarily Have To Be By Stoning As Such" Most disturbing of all are the explicit calls, right here in the U.S., for Islamic punishments for gay people. In a June 2024 lecture at Masjid As-Sunnah in Orlando, Florida, Sheikh Abu Usama At-Thahabi called "Allah's curse" down upon men who act and dress like women, adding that Islamic punishments for homosexuality were still "operable" and enumerating ways they could be carried out: "There are a number of prohibitions of the Muslims imitating the women and the women imitating the men. May Allah's curse be upon the men who resemble the women... May Allah curse those men who in different aspects of their existence – their creation, their clothes, how they behave... May [Allah] curse them... "All of the hudud [Islamic punishments] today are operable, by someone who has the ability to do that in the Muslim world. That's number one. Doing it exactly how the Prophet did it is not something that is obligatory. So some people can be punished by chopping, you know... Corporal punishment... It doesn't necessarily have to be by stoning as such." New Jersey Imam: "We Live In A Non-Muslim Country That Does Not Practice Shari'a Law... We Are Not Kicking Anybody Off The Empire State Building" One New Jersey imam underlined that yes, the way to deal with homosexuals is to throw them off of roofs – but not in the U.S., since it is not an Islamic country. Imam Baker Assaf stressed in a sermon at the Islamic Center of Passaic County in Paterson, New Jersey: "[H]omosexuality will never be accepted in our religion. That is a fact." He added that since "we live in a non-Muslim country that does not practice shari'a law... we are not kicking anybody off the Empire State Building." In mosques and other venues in the U.S., extremist Islamists have, over the years and particularly since October 7, referred to their previous collaboration with LGBTQ+ groups as a "mistake," calling gays "disgusting," "deviant," and "Satanic" and saying that they will suffer Islamic punishments, although these punishments may not necessarily be stoning. For them, the LGBTQ+ community is now in the same basket with the others for whom they express hatred: Jews, Christians, and the U.S. and West. Imams, mosques, Islamic centers, and Muslim organizations have also explained that they now want to exclude the LGBTQ+ community from pro-Palestinian activism in the U.S., since they now have so much support from others and they no longer need them. Extremist Imams: Muslims' Pursuit Of An Alliance With Gays Including Fears Of Being "Kicked Out Of The Country" After 9/11 Was A "Mistake" and We Now Reject This Alliance Referring to Muslims' alliance with the LGBTQ+ community as a "mistake," extremist Detroit-area imam Imran Salha said in May 2023: "If somebody loves Palestine, but they don't worship Allah, then I don't want your activism for Palestine. What is your activism for Palestine going to help me, if you are at war with Allah? This is one of the mistakes that, unfortunately, here in America, we have made politically. We want to work for the sake of Palestine – but then shake hands with people who endorse things like the LGBTQ+ principles[?]... We don't need this, and we reject that. We have our culture and we have our things that we return to." Other U.S. imams have openly called the relationship between Muslims and the LGBTQ+ community misguided and called for ending it. California Islamic scholar Mustafa Umar said in a June 2023 lecture at the Chino Valley Islamic Center that it emerged in the wake of 9/11, when the Muslim leadership was so fearful that Muslims would be "kicked out of the country" that they would team up with anyone who would talk to them. But, he said, Muslims should not join forces with something "intrinsically wrong" just to build political power, and should never support the "LGBTQ lobby" – nor with "every other minority" such as "the Church of Satan" and people who "are zoophiliacs... they marry their dog, they marry their cat" – no matter how much they support Muslims' rights. He said: "What people don't realize is when it comes to the LGBT lobby it's not simply about saying, 'oh well, you know what, there are certain people in America, and they're doing certain things that we don't approve of'... [It's not like]: 'You know what, they [Satanists and zoophiliacs] are also a minority in this country; let's support them in every single thing that they do, and try to normalize this behavior so that they can also help us make sure that our masjid [mosque] can have a minaret on it and we don't get Islamophobia'... Unfortunately, the Muslim community or the Muslim leadership, we need to admit our mistakes when we make a mistake..." Virginia Imam: "There Are Some Groups We Just Don't Have To Work With... The Only Thing That We Have Taken Away From These Alliances... Is That We Confuse Our Children" Imam Farhan Siddiqi discussed the Muslim alliance with LGBTQ+ groups over common issues such as Gaza in a May 2024 Friday sermon at in Falls Church, Virginia's Dar Al-Hijra Islamic Center – a mosque whose terror connections date back to the late Yemeni-America Al-Qaeda ideologue Anwar Al-'Awlaki, who served as an imam there. Noting that "there are some groups we just don't have to work with," he added that "we refuse to accept" homosexuality and that "sodomy is forbidden, it will forever be forbidden." He said: "[T]his is not how Muslims operate, and this is not how Muslims work... [W]hy is it a problem? Because there are some spaces that we do share... [U]nfortunately, because of what is happening to our brothers in Gaza... there was a huge issue that has been overshadowed, and that is this issue of homosexuality, sodomy, transgenderism..." He went on to stress that by allying with the LGBTQ+ community, Muslims "confuse our children": "In the past 10 years that we have built alliances, we worked with them and we have causes together, and the only thing that we have taken away from these alliances, and the buildings we have done and the institutions we've created, is that we confuse our children... There are some groups we just don't have to work with... We refuse to accept [homosexuality]... Sodomy is forbidden, it will forever be forbidden... Don't come and tell me what my religion is, don't tell me what I need to believe." California Imam: These Are "Very, Very Sneaky People" With Whom "We Cannot Be Standing Shoulder-To-Shoulder"; "If We Have A Rally... They Want To Be Seen Among Us" California imam Ahmed Radwan, in a June 2024 Friday sermon at the Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley, called the LGBTQ+ community "very, very sneaky people" with whom "we cannot be standing shoulder-to-shoulder." He added: "For example, if we have a rally... and they have showed up at rallies when we are standing beside Palestine and Gaza. They come closer to us, they want to be seen among us. [They say] 'We are supporting you, we stand with you against Israel, so stand with us also when we need your help.'" Urging worshipers to repulse them, he said: "Do not be fooled by this tactic. You need to let them understand: 'Stay away from us. You do not belong to us and we do not belong to you.' Have a wall between you and them, because they are going to be expecting the same thing. No 'shoulder-to-shoulder,' my dear brothers and need to stay [as far away] as we can and to make sure that our children do not associate with them, because it is a disease and then your children are going to get it... And then these people act like they are the oppressed or the victim..." Also denouncing the Muslim-LGBTQ+ alliance regarding the Gaza war was Imam Ahson Syed, in a June 2024 Friday sermon at the King Fahad Mosque in Culver City, California. He said, "One of the main problems today, sadly, is that many Muslim figureheads have allied with people from this community... Some justify it by saying, 'Look, they always support us when Muslims are going through some type of hardship, you see this community supporting our rights, so we have to support them... Allah forbid! We never asked for their support, we don't want their support, the support of these types of people harms us, it harms our image. We will never support them, and we will never support their lifestyle, and we want them to just leave us and our children alone. So much damage has been done by the alliances that these so-called Muslim organizations have made with these people." Connecticut Imam: "The LGBT Is The Most Intolerant, Aggressive, And Criminal Agenda There Is Today" Islamic supremacy is on full display when these extremists rail against the LGBTQ+ community. Sheikh Dr. Ali Ahmed said in a Friday sermon, also in June 2024, at the Islamic Center of Connecticut: "The subject [of LGBTQ+] cannot be addressed from an apologetic or inferiority position. We believe we are right, 100%, and our values and morals are absolutely pure, and 100% true, because it comes from Allah." He continued: "If this subject is not addressed properly, then it will affect the future of the Muslim communities here in America... The LGBT is the most intolerant, aggressive, and criminal agenda there is today. What was considered abhorrent, dirty, and evil is now considered pure, good, something to celebrate and be 'pride' about..." Imam In New York Sermon And Dearborn, MI Lecture: American Churches "Are Losing Their Congregation And Their Flock – So Much That They Had To Open The Doors For The LGBT"; "Their Nations, Their Religions Are Dying" So "They Had To Change Their Religion" To Embrace LGBTQ+ At the MAS Bronx Muslim Center in a July 2024 Friday sermon, an imam known as "Way of Life SQ" stressed that the influence of Christianity had diminished in the U.S., saying: "The church can't even pack it in on a Sunday. They can't even get people together on a Sunday. They are losing their congregation and their flock – so much that they had to open the doors for the LGBT.... Why? [They say:] 'Oh, we have to adapt the Bible to today's society.' Because your congregation is leaving, you would rather get the homosexuals inside of your churches because the regular people ain't coming... My brothers and sisters, they have reasons to be jealous of us... We are the best of nations..." "Way of Life SQ" emphasized the same point about the decline of churches' influence as a reason for their embrace of the LGBTQ+ community in a lecture for Muslim teen boys at the Dearborn, Michigan Community Center in October 2024. Westerners, he said, are so "uncivilized" despite technological advances that they are "still wiping themselves and cleaning themselves with paper." He added: "Their nations, their religions are dying. So what they had to do, they had to change their religion... We went to churches and they're now having the LGBT flags over there. Imagine, your business, your religion is dying so much that the only thing that you can do is go and get help from the LGBT, that's the condition you've become. Because their religion is dying. Allah, the praised and exalted, has sent us into the nations to guide these people from the darkness into the light." California Imam: "When We Have A Rally To Support Palestine, We Don't Want These People To Stand With Us Shoulder To Shoulder... They Are The Oppressors" In a sermon livestreamed in August 2024 on the YouTube channel of the Islamic Society of Corona/Norco (ISCN), California imam Ahmed Radwan said that Muslims must stay as far away as possible from the LGBTQ+ community because they are "like gum in the hair – you cannot remove it, you have to cut it off." These "people of Lot" are "stronger than ever," he explained, because of the media and the Internet. He said: "When we have a rally to support Palestine, we don't want these people to stand with us shoulder to shoulder... They act like they are the oppressed ones, but actually they are not. Actually, they are the oppressors." Sheikh Karim Abu Zaid, the imam of the Colorado Muslim Community Center in Aurora, CO, said in a Q&A session in July 2024 that a Muslim who aligned with the LGBTQ+ community was not actually a Muslim: "There is no such thing as aligning with LGBT. What do you mean a Muslim aligning with LGBT?" He added: "There is a position of being determined [about] this is right or this is wrong... So a Muslim entertaining that entire concept [of LGBTQ+]... And you want to unite with this [gay] person? On what foundation? Unite on what? Unity is on the truth." Vilifying American culture along with homosexuality, Abdullah Bayazid said in a Friday sermon at the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City in June 2024: "Those people who are in control of the Disney company decided to make a cartoon network for your kids, that has two odd and deviant people – a transgender and a sodomite... Guess what? Superman right now is a sodomite. Right now, you will find that Superman, the one we all know from 50-60 years [ago], now he has changed. He became homosexual... There is a study that we are right now too many people on Earth, and we decided to bring the number down. How are we going to bring the number down? If you become a sodomite, a homosexual, you are not going to have any kids." *Steven Stalinsky, Ph.D., is Executive Director of The Middle East Media Research Institute.
