Warrant issued for imam on hate charge

MONTREAL

• An arrest warrant has been issued for an imam who made several anti-Semitic statements during a sermon at a Montreal mosque last December.

Sheikh Muhammad bin Musa Al Nasr called Jews “the worst of mankind” and expressed his hope that Muslims would slaughter them on Judgment Day, according to a statement by B’nai Brith.

Al Nasr, a PalestinianJordanian imam, is facing a charge of wilful promotion of hatred following an investigation by the Montreal police hate crimes unit. Officials with B’nai Brith lodged a complaint with the unit after learning about the speech, which was made at the Dar al-Arqam mosque in Montreal’s St-Michel district.

During his speech, the imam says: “O Muslim, O servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.”

The verse is from a religious text called a hadith, which states that trees and stones will instruct Muslims to kill Jews who are hiding behind them.

An official with B’nai Brith said he hopes the charge will deter future threats and assaults on the Jewish community in Canada.

“Today, the Jewish community of Montreal can sleep safer, knowing that there is a price to pay for inciting violence against our community,” said Michael Mostyn, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada. “This incident and others like it demonstrate that anti-Semitism, especially in the guise of religion, remains a serious problem in Canada today.”

Al Nasr’s whereabouts are unknown, but B’nai Brith suspects he may be in Jordan and is calling for his extradition. Several Muslim groups have condemned the speech.