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"Out of context." "Anti-Muslim prejudice." Not: "We repudiate now and forever any Islamic tradition or teaching that teaches hatred of and/or violence against Jews, and pledge to do all we can to offer benign reinterpretations of this material if it cannot be rejected outright, and to work against the effects of such teachings within the Muslim community."
"New Cleveland imam hopes to ease Muslim-Jewish relations," by David Briggs in the Cleveland Plain Dealer blog (thanks to Mary):
Ahmed Alzaree was looking forward to his new job as spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of Cleveland. The stocky, spirited 38-year-old, who five years ago left his job as a physician in Egypt to become an imam in Omaha, Neb., wanted to be a voice for "tolerance, harmony and understanding."No sooner did Ohio's largest mosque announce Alzaree's hiring last month, than bloggers posted a portion of a 4-year-old end-times sermon in which the imam quoted the Prophet Muhammad saying one sign of the approach of the Day of Judgment is that "the Muslims will kill the Jews."
Yes indeed. And it's all the bloggers' fault, you see. No would ever have gotten the idea that "The Muslims shall kill the Jews" meant anything crazy like "The Muslims shall kill the Jews" if it hadn't been for those evil bloggers. Alzaree himself was "stunned" that anyone could have mistaken this as anything but an appeal for peace, love, and understanding:
Alzaree was stunned by the ensuing uproar. The Islamic Center of Omaha took his sermons off its Web site as allegations circulated on the Internet that Alzaree associated with an Egyptian cleric suspected of having terrorist ties.In interviews this week, the imam said he and his wife considered backing out of the Cleveland offer. He said he knew about the lingering tension in Cleveland, where his predecessor, Fawaz Damra, had been deported, but "I did nothing wrong to defend myself [against]."
After lengthy conversations with his family and mosque leaders, the imam put aside his worries and will begin work Thursday at the center in Parma. He has vowed to make an extra effort to meet area Jewish and Christian leaders "to explain Islam, to explain myself to them."
[...]
Muslim-Jewish relations in Northeast Ohio have been troubled since fall 2001 when a decade-old videotape of Damra, the previous imam, surfaced. It showed him railing against Jews "as the sons of monkeys and pigs" and raising money for Palestinian militant groups. Damra apologized, saying he made the remarks when he did not know the Jewish and Christian communities, and the mosque retained him as imam. But some members left in protest, and the center's interfaith work was severely curtailed. In January, Damra was deported to the Middle East on charges he falsified his citizenship application by failing to disclose ties to extremist groups.
The celebration over Alzaree's hiring was short-lived.
Bloggers quickly posted the 2003 sermon in which the imam included a controversial Hadith, a saying of Muhammad. "The hour of judgment shall not happen until the Muslims fight the Jews. The Muslims shall kill the Jews to the point that the Jew shall hide behind a big rock or a tree," the Hadith reads in part.
Bloggers such as Patrick Poole of Central Ohioans Against Terrorism noted that Wagdy Ghoneim, a controversial cleric who left the country after being charged with violating his visa, spoke at the Omaha mosque when Alzaree was imam. Many in the Islamic community believe Ghoneim is a respected scholar, but some terrorism watchers say he preached hatred against Jews and raised funds for militant groups. Poole also wrote that the mosque's Web site contained photographs and statements comparing Israel's treatment of Palestinians to the Holocaust.
Steven Emerson, executive director of the Washington-based Investigative Project On Terrorism, said based on his study of Alzaree's sermons and the mosque's speaking invitation to Ghoneim, the imam "is a fairly typical Islamic fundamentalist who believes in a literal translation of the Koran. . . . In our parlance, he would be called a militant."
Yehudit Barsky, director of the Division on Middle East and International Terrorism for the American Jewish Committee in New York, said the Hadith in Alzaree's sermon is used today in the Muslim world to legitimize suicide bombings. "If one believes in interfaith dialogue, one should not use that Hadith," she said.
Others offer a different view.
Zeki Saritoprak, professor of Islamic studies at John Carroll University, said the Hadith is part of the ambiguous, allegorical sayings of the prophet. He said Alzaree seemed to be using the saying as part of a discussion of the end times, and not in a political sense encouraging violence against Jews.
"We shouldn't immediately accuse someone just for saying a saying of the prophet," Saritoprak said.
Ashfaque Hussain, treasurer of the Islamic Center of Omaha, said Alzaree visited temples and participated in interfaith programs and gave no indication of being anti-Semitic. "When you talk to some people, you can feel that. He's nothing like that," Hussain said.
Alzaree said the allegations against him are unfounded.
He said the sermon gave many examples of Islamic teaching on the Day of Judgment, including such signs as the rising of the sun from the West, the appearance of an animal or beast to face the unjust and three eclipses. Alzaree said it was clear he was not urging action against any group, and the end-time events the prophet spoke of were in the future. The sermon began with a reminder that no one but Allah knows when judgment day will occur, and in the interim people are encouraged to "strive and struggle in the world doing the good and avoiding the bad and forbidden."
Alzaree also said it was the administration at the Omaha mosque that invited Ghoneim to speak, and the cleric said nothing inflammatory. He said he was unaware of the Holocaust photographs and commentary on the Web site.
Of course.
Islamic Center of Cleveland leaders defended Alzaree. Abu-Shaweesh said the Islamic teaching was taken out of context, and the bloggers' response is an example of anti-Muslim prejudice that undermines the mosque's efforts to rebuild interfaith and community relations.
Out of context. Are we ever going to be told the context in which such statements become harmless?
Posted by Robert at October 27, 2007 11:23 AM
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When they say Peace, they mean: 'We will have peace when you submit to us, when you give up, deny or hide your faith from our superior eyes, when you pay us the jiyza for remaining Kufr, when all you own belongs to us, when the world belongs to us.'
When they say Understanding, they mean: 'Obey us in all of the above, or there will be NO peace!'
Posted by: Gary![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at October 27, 2007 11:57 AM
Greetings:
"They shall make a desert and call it peace."
Posted by: 11B40 at October 27, 2007 12:06 PM
I posted this on another thread a few days ago and I think it bears repeating
These fools can never, I REPEAT NEVER take criticism and never admit they did anything wrong. Their reaction is the only thing that can be done when there is nothing wrong. This is a form of pride a perverted form but pride none the less. These people are very angry and no nothing of compassion, forgiveness, humility, long suffering or slow to anger. That is the definition of LOVE.
It looks like a blogger pulled the sheep skin off the wolf. The wolf is quickly pulling the skin back on and telling them they did not see/hear what they think they did.
Matt 7:15-20
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot brings forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hew down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
مات 7:15-20
حذار زاءفه الانبياء ، والتي تأتي لك في الغنم ملابس ، ولكن داخليا وهم النهب وولفز. يى يقوم نعرفها من قبل والفواكه. هل الرجل جمع من الشوك العنب ، أو التين من الاشواك؟ وحتى مع ذلك كل شجرة جيدة تؤدي الى حسن الفواكه ؛ ولكن الشجرة الفاسده تؤدي الى الشر والفواكه. شجرة طيبة لا يمكن ان تؤدي الى الشر والفواكه ، لا [يمكن أن] ا الفاسده تؤدي الى شجرة فاكهه طيبة. كل الاشجار التي تجلب لا نه هو ثمرة طيبة hew اسفل ، ويلقى في النار. ولهذا السبب من جانب الفواكه يى يقوم نعرفهم.
at October 27, 2007 12:24 PM
Oh, he's just trying to show us ignorant infidels how we misunderstand islam and how their inviting us on their internal spiritual struggles are the only way to paradise.
(/sarc)
Man...gettin deep over there...lol
Posted by: jcom972 at October 27, 2007 12:35 PM
Well, Mohammad made sure that the end times wont happen anytime soon. It's really hard to get Jews to hide behind tree's and rocks, unless they are shooting back. They usually don't hide, they advance. The other side, not having trees and rocks to hide behind, hide behind women and children.
I don't think Jews hiding behind trees and rocks is a very good measurement of 'end times'. Islamic logic is very distorted...
at October 27, 2007 12:36 PM
...that's because their hearts & minds (and the rest of their bodies for that matter) GET "distored" every time Israel reigns fiery justice from the sky.
lol
at October 27, 2007 12:48 PM
The End of Times? Is it those Kassam rockets lobbed out of Gaza into Israel, just tokens of Love from Mohammed's hordes? The Islamic hatred of Jews is so irrational it rivals Hitler's irrational hatred of Jews. But this hatred goes much further back, all the way back to Mohammed himself. "End of times" will come for Islam, when it is soundly defeated and outlawed as a war cult.
Now, Ahmed Alzaree, put that in your hooka and smoke it. Then we'll talk interfaith.
at October 27, 2007 12:54 PM
At the risk of sounding like a Muslim appologist, Alzaree's quote doesn't necessarily mean that he endorses the idea that Muslims should kill the Jews, but only that it would be a sign of the end times.
the test of Alzaree's stated convictions is if he to goes back to Egypt, or some other Islamic country, stands up in a Mosque, and repeats the things he says in Cleveland.
The same goes for all Imams that say one thing for consumption in the Western media and a another thing for an all-Muslim audience.
It's very possible that Alzaree has changed his mind about Jews, and doesn't hate them any more. If that's the case, he's still going to have to deal with Islamic scripture, and that's akin to putting a square peg into a round hole.
Personally, I'm very suspicious of Muslims like Mr. Alzaree who tell us that they love Jews, or any other non-Muslim, but I suppose it's possible.
at October 27, 2007 1:05 PM
Yeah, and it's possible for hell to freeze over, too.
lol
at October 27, 2007 1:21 PM
You only hear of these half-assed attempts at "interfaith dialogue" in such places where, and at such times when, the Muslims are outnumbered by their host society. And we know that their "faith" directly instructs them in those instances to lie, deceive and cooperate with the "kufr" only until they achieve a majority. The path to total fundamentalist Islam is one which, once embarked upon by any Muslim peaceful or violent Jihadist alike, is virtually impossible for any single Muslim or "secular Islamic" group (despite the work of Ibn Warraq et. al.) to derail. Around the world we see whole nation states one after the other falling further and further into the deepest Islamic hole.
Taqiya requires tremendous discipline on the part of the clerics, and for many of them it apparently is just too much to ask. They simply can't help themselves from preaching the hate--they are just too damn enthusiastic about it. And when confronted with their own words of hate they slip so easily and with all transparency into their favorite tactic--that of retreat, lies, righteous indignation, victimhood.
Again, all directly as instructed. Simply by association, a Muslim sells himself out every day. A peaceful Muslim's only salvation is to get out while he still can.
Posted by: JohnAdams at October 27, 2007 1:23 PM
"to explain Islam, to explain myself to them."
Maybe he should ask to have Chrisianity and Judeism
and Bhuddism, ect explained to him !
at October 27, 2007 1:24 PM
"The hour of judgment shall not happen until the Muslims fight the Jews."
...
The sermon began with a reminder that no one but Allah knows when judgment day will occur, and in the interim people are encouraged to "strive and struggle in the world doing the good and avoiding the bad and forbidden."
from the sermon
How can Allah bring about judgment day before the Muslims fight the Jews? It seems man has control over when judgment day occurs and, thus, over Allah. Live in peace with the Jews and judgment day will never arrive. (?)
Why must American mosques import their imams? Have American Muslims been unable to create their own infrastructure for training imams?
Posted by: PMK at October 27, 2007 1:31 PM
This is a no-brainer (if ever there was one).
The Kuran is FULL of verses instructing the Muslim followers to kill the unbelievers, ESPECIALLY the followers of the Judaic faith.
THAT IS THE IDEA. THAT IS THE CONTEXT. And these instructions are juxtaposed with ideas concerning end times (AND talking trees and talking rocks). imams do NOT need blogs for any inspiration on this at all. Also Islam is inheritantly MILITANT by its very nature.
Thus we can see that this imam is just another Muslim preacher teaching Islamic doctrine as it exists in the Kuran. But what some Ohioans may be reacting to of course (although many may yet not realize it since most Americans still haven't bothered to investigate Islamic doctrine, which is to their detriment as they are slowly finding out as we see here in this article above) is seeing Islam as it really is (and not what so many ignorant fools have been telling us it is ,eg--the r.o.p.,blah blah blah).
ISLAM, THROUGH THE TEACHINGS OF THE KURAN, TEACHES FIRST DEGREE MURDER, INSTITUTIONALIZES FIRST DEGREE MURDER, AND CONSPIRES TO COMMIT FIRST DEGREE MURDER ON A SCALE WITH VIRTUALLY NO REAL LIMITATIONS ON IT--the target is the Jews and other "non-believers.". The use of thermonuclear weapons on non-Muslims would not be ruled out by Islamic authorities and we can NOT rule such a (horrid) thing out. Int he above story, what we are really seeing is Islam conducting its business as usual. It isn't pretty and many Ohioans may be wondering just who and how Islam found its way to US soil.
Muslims who deny Islam's homicidal inclination to our faces (and that is MOST OF THEM by the way) are practicing the Kuranic concept of taqiyya or "lying." And they cover it up by telling us we are taking what they say " out of context." In fact Muslims should be taking what they say out of the United States of America on the next ship back to the land of Muhammad and his infinite horrors.
And all this is why Islam should beoutlawed in America IMMEDIATELY before it is too late.
Islam'll kill the Jews. And--it'll kill YOU TOO if you give it a chance!
Posted by: pythagoras at October 27, 2007 1:38 PM
Perhaps the most important stuff is what David Briggs left out of his article, such as the webpage on "struggle" (jihad) on his prior mosque's site, identifying Iraq, Afghanistan, and India as locations of "struggle" (an internal, spiritual struggle, no doubt).
More on what the PD has thus far missed can be found at Patrick Poole and Tom Blumer's respective posts yesterday (the PD has been unable to keep up with them):
Cleveland's new imam: an "interfaith" moderate, or two-faced jihadist
Imam Ahmed Alzaree and the Islamic Center of Cleveland Follow Up, Part 1
Imam Ahmed Alzaree and the Islamic Center of Cleveland Follow Up, Part 2
At the Central Ohioans Against Terrorism post there are even screen shots of the webpages in question. How he can run such a small mosque and not be aware of the site's contents really begs the question. And as Poole notes, these pages only appeared AFTER Alzaree took over the leadership of the Omaha mosque.
Posted by: scanderbeg at October 27, 2007 1:43 PM
One more thing: if all this content was taken out of context, why has Alzaree's former mosque in Omaha removed all of the supposedly non-offending sermons immediately after questions started being raised. If it is simply a question of context, doesn't removing it all strike anyone as odd?
Just asking.
Posted by: scanderbeg at October 27, 2007 1:48 PM
I don't think Jews hiding behind trees and rocks is a very good measurement of 'end times'. Islamic logic is very distorted...
Posted by: duh_swami
LOL!
The writer of the article stopped at the crucial moment, didn't he, when the rock or tree will say: "O Muslim, there is a Jew hiding behind me! Come and kill him."
That's my favorite part of that Hadith. I wonder why the quote stopped at that point. Could it be because sane people would think it it stooopid?
Posted by: Abscedere at October 27, 2007 2:07 PM
I don't think Ahmed Alzaree did anything wrong but he seems incapable of understanding why his sermons cause problems.
Muslims have such an exalted view of Muhammed that they cannot see that his words were often hateful. They cannot see that while they deny the divinity of Christ, they ignore the virtural divinity of Muhammed. Even his sweat is supposed to smell like rosewater (if I am remembering that correctly). Their supposed strict Monotheism is a fraud. They have at least 2 gods, Allah and Muhammed.
Posted by: Jerry M at October 27, 2007 2:10 PM
"Out of context"....how many times have we heard that BS?
Looks like Alzaree's phony plan for "tolerance, harmony and understanding" has been foiled by those astute enough to do a little research on one of his 4-year old sermons. Here here!
Another two-faced imam poised and ready for "peace" in America. Big Lie, and an even Bigger Surprise.
Posted by: champ at October 27, 2007 2:25 PM
LOL duh_swami!
Posted by: champ at October 27, 2007 2:58 PM
”But Alzaree said he has found in Islam "the special food" he needs for his spirit.”
I suspect that he can say this because his upbringing as a Muslim has deprived him of so much of Western culture that he otherwise could actively enjoy, like music, fine films, literature and Western Art in general. He has no other source of the esthetic than the few poetic parts of the Koran that are much enhanced, no doubt, by trained intonations in their readings. It is the great self-protective shrewdness of this totalitarian, diabolic cult that it commands its fledgling zombies away from the best of Western culture and any true friendship with the Infidel.
at October 27, 2007 2:59 PM
”Zeki Saritoprak, professor of Islamic studies at John Carroll University, said the Hadith is part of the ambiguous, allegorical sayings of the prophet. He said Alzaree seemed to be using the saying as part of a discussion of the end times, and not in a political sense encouraging violence against Jews”.
God! how stupid does Saritoprak think infidels are? No Muslim makes that monstrous quote except to arouse hatred against Jews and to justify intentional harm to them.
"We shouldn't immediately accuse someone just for saying a saying of the prophet," Saritoprak said.
The hell we shouldn’t if it's part of a sermon. If a quote (intended to be respected) is horrid & completely damnable then the quoter should be accused of all kinds of nasty things (including Saritoprak). Saritoprak wants us to think, “Oh, this is saying of Muhammad himself, so we have give it a pass out of respect and sensitivity.” Gosh do they play us for fools - and must laugh hard at us among themselves.
at October 27, 2007 3:40 PM
I'm not inclined to give Alzaree the benefit of the doubt. It makes as little sense to say that he could quote a hadith in a sermon without believing it as it would to say that a Catholic priest or a Christian minister would quote a passage of the Gospels in a sermon without believing it. Alzaree is someone who actually memorized the Koran by the time he was 13 years old. He cannot be ignorant of its directives to kill Jews and other infidels. This guy is a true believer who gave up practicing medicine because he would rather be an imam even though he makes less money as a cleric.
It looks as though the Islamic Center of Cleveland has appointed another extremist as its imam.
Posted by: lakeside at October 27, 2007 4:04 PM
They mean what they say and they do it all the time.
That nobody in high office has the guts to stand up to them and shake them down is disgraceful. It will forever be a stain on our society.
These creeps (that's what they are) have been getting away with murder much too long. The hate they preach is not out of context, it is incitement to murder. Worst of all is that they even indoctrinate their children with this genocidal hatred.
This cult has to be shut down.
Sooner is better.
Risotto: Proving Einstein’s Theory of Insanity
Einstein said that repeating the same action over again expecting different results is the definition of insanity.
You won’t believe this:
Rice taps Clinton, Carter for Middle East advice
http://sheikyermami.com/2007/10/27/risotto-proving-einsteins-theory-of-insanity/
at October 27, 2007 4:56 PM
‘Interfaith and community relations’ = da’awa, nothing but da’awa…
Don't take my word for it. Ask Hugh. Or go to the mosque next time when there is another 'interfaith-dialogue...'
Posted by: sheik yer'mami at October 27, 2007 7:11 PM
Mmmmmm. Another Doctor? Given the proclivities of some Muslims in the Medical Profession as of late, one wonders if Cleveland needs a check-up?
Posted by: flowerknife_us at October 27, 2007 8:16 PM
[Ahmad Alzaree] wanted to be a voice for "tolerance, harmony and understanding."
Tolerance for Muhammad's psychotic incitements to genocide.
Harmony between all who submit to Islam
Understanding that Muslims are supremacist deceivers.
at October 27, 2007 10:22 PM
including such signs as the rising of the sun from the West
WHAT THE F*%K ? ? ? ! ? !? ?!! ?!!?
my brain can not wrap itself around these "people" ... is this some kind of sick joke ?
We Deport, We Survive
Posted by: Crunchy Jello at October 27, 2007 10:25 PM
Sheik, let' not forget this piece:
Peter Costello, the Federal Treasurer and next in line for the Liberal Party Leadership, is the only western leader to my knowledge who had the intestinal fortitude to say:
http://www.treasurer.gov.au/tsr/content/transcripts/2005/151.asp
“……Well the point I would make is this, Australians are free to express themselves about political views, let’s make that clear. But there are some things Australia stands for, has always stood for, always will stand for which will never change. We will never be an Islamic State. We will never observe Sharia Law. We have a Constitution. The Constitution means that Australia has a civil state that the laws are made by elected representatives. We will always be a democracy and to people who say, well we have come to this country and we would like to turn it into something that it isn’t, I say, you must understand, that will never occur. There are certain core Constitutional things that Australia stands for, always will and expects all of its citizens to accept. And that is a civil government with parliamentary democracy, with democratic law making, with equality between men and women and if you’re someone that doesn’t like those principles then Australia may not be the best place for you.”
Gutsy and accurate!
However I fear annihilation at the next election.
The irony of voting out a goof government for the sake of of a novelty party who in the past who ruined the Austrlian ecomomy more than once.
Go figure the lunacy of it all.
at October 27, 2007 10:25 PM
typo: read good,,not goof.
Posted by: Gramfan at October 27, 2007 10:27 PM
Oh this is such a catch 22 for this poor imam.
being a muslim imam he must read from the koran and he must believe every word as the real words from allah himself. But there are a lot of words in the koran that says bad things about jews and infidals. Yet if says reads from the koran he is called a hate preacher or worse. He is denied a job based on what he reads. The only way to keep his job is to lie about the koran. But that will make his a bad muslim and he will be burned in hell for this. But bush says to Americans that koran is a book of love, peace, and equality like the bible. This is the catch 22 or dilama he faces.
So the only thing left to do is go ahead read from the koran but say that all those hateful words really mean somthing nice or are taken out of contaxt. That way fellow muslims get their friday dose of hate, intolerance, and war, while the Americans are relieved that all those hateful things really means love, peace, and equality.
at October 27, 2007 11:35 PM
How difficult it must be to be a Muslim.
Every DAY a new atrocity in word or deed to justify to the global community of humanity.
Muslim, disinvest!
Posted by: JohnAdams at October 28, 2007 1:15 AM
I can only come to three conclusions,
(1)... Ahmed Alzaree, cant read...or
(2)... he hasnt read his own holy books... and
(3)... which is the most likely one, that he is lying...
We in the west know that their holy books say that ALL non Muslims are to be slaughtered if they don't submit..
Posted by: Gaye at October 28, 2007 7:23 AM
Hi The Resistance,
Your suspicion is not baseless, as here in Israel every year some Israeli Arab citizens are caught intentionally (gasoline) setting fire in the wildlife near Jewish cities... very common...
at October 28, 2007 10:01 AM
The question, "Are we ever going to be told the context in which such statements become harmless?" is puzzling, given that the context is stated outright. It was one of several entries in a list of things that would happen at the end of days. How could that have been missed?
Posted by: Ewen Allison at October 28, 2007 11:51 AM
"taken out of context"
...the four words you are most likely to hear from a Muslim when he is trying to explain other Muslims violent actions....
Ban Muslim Immigration...
Posted by: exsgtbrown at October 28, 2007 12:07 PM
”But Alzaree said he has found in Islam "the special food" he needs for his spirit.”
"I suspect that he can say this because his upbringing as a Muslim has deprived him of so much of Western culture that he otherwise could actively enjoy, like music, fine films, literature and Western Art in general. He has no other source of the esthetic than the few poetic parts of the Koran that are much enhanced, no doubt, by trained intonations in their readings. It is the great self-protective shrewdness of this totalitarian, diabolic cult that it commands its fledgling zombies away from the best of Western culture and any true friendship with the Infidel."
FM,
Very thoughtful comments.
Posted by: rational at October 28, 2007 5:01 PM
"We were just quoting Herr Hitler and it was meant to be an allegory. You misunderstand the Fuhrer on the Jewish Question..."
at October 29, 2007 3:34 PM
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