Houston imam catches heat for anti-Israel sermon
A sermon delivered earlier this month by a Houston imam that included references to killing Jews on Judgment Day has been swiftly condemned by the Anti-Defamation League as well as local Muslim leaders, prompting the imam to express remorse for the language he used and to stress that in no way does he support violence.
In a Dec. 8 sermon, Imam Raed Al-Rousan’s detailed his interpretation of the history of Israel and Palestine, stating that Palestine is not the country of Jewish people and that one day Muslims will fight and defeat Jews there.
In a video of the sermon that briefly surfaced on YouTube but was later taken down, Al-Rousan, speaking in Arabic and discussing an interpretation of Muslim prophecy, said: “Judgment Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews. The Muslims will kill the Jews.” The remarks were translated through subtitles.
On Wednesday, the Israeli Consul General for six states, including Texas, decried the speech as racist and hateful. He said it was particularly shameful in a diverse city like Houston.
“We should not be tolerant towards hatred,” said Gilad Katz, the consul general. “Hatred should be met with a very strong fist of the law, and should be dealt with seriously.”
The ADL said Wednesday that the imam’s statement indicates he “doesn’t fully understand the ramifications of his sermon.”
Dayan Gross, regional director for the ADL in Houston, wrote in an email
that Al-Rousan should apologize to the Jewish community and “through future actions, demonstrate he is committed to understanding why the sermon was an incitement to violence.”
The ADL had called the sermon “anti-Semitic” and likened it to rhetoric used to incite violence against Jewish people by terrorist groups like al-Qaida.
Shariq Ghani, an interfaith activist with the Minaret Foundation who coordinated local Muslim leaders’ response to Al-Rousan’s comments, said multiple Muslim scholars and imams had called Al-Rousan to tell him his sermon was incorrect and “extremely hurtful.” Ghani said Al-Rousan is a new imam in Houston, with a small congregation.
“We wanted to ensure that congregants of his mosque understood that what he said was well outof-context, it was politically charged, and something that needs to be adjusted and retracted,” Ghani said.
On Tuesday evening, a group of 13 local Muslim leaders issued a statement calling Al-Rousan’s earlier remarks “deeply problematic” and not representative of the “views or sentiments of the Houston Muslim community.”
“Senior Muslim leaders have been in direct contact with Imam Raed to discuss his sermon, and he has expressed profound regret and willingness to work with Jewish and interfaith leaders to try and correct the situation,” the statement reads. “He is aware that his words have caused serious harm to the feelings of many in our city.”
Jerusalem directive
Al-Rousan’s sermon — and the response — reflect how local communities are grappling with President Donald Trump’s declaration that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Trump’s Dec. 6 announcement fear has been widely criticized for threatening to inflame tensions between Muslims and Jews.
Reversing decades of American foreign policy, Trump said he would move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Jerusalem is currently occupied by Israeli troops, and is recognized as a holy site by Jews, Muslims and Christians. Palestinian Muslims have long sought to divide the city and make east Jerusalem the capital of Palestine.
Critics of Trump’s decision have included Pope Francis, the European Union and the United Nations General Assembly.
Katz said Wednesday that Israel was “very, very thankful to President Trump” and that he was not afraid of those who disagreed with Trump’s declarations.
Ghani said the Muslim community is concerned about Trump’s move and its impact. But he said “we cannot allow an international conflict or those in power to dictate the course of our relationship with fellow Houstonians, Texans or Americans.”
“What is happening now is very dangerous, because Trump has no idea what kinds of ancient and medieval conflicts he is stoking,” said Emran El-Badawi , associate professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Houston. “The ADL has a point objecting to the extremism of the preacher in question. However, I fear the longer Trump is in office the more antiSemitism, Islamophobia and hate crimes we will see.”
Al-Rousan said in an emailed statement Tuesday that his “impassioned” sermon was in response to Trump’s decision and that he was “mortified” that his remarks were “being seen as a call for the very things I despise.” Al-Rousan runs the Tajweed Institute, a Florida-based nonprofit “that strives to teach and spread the authentic knowledge of the Glorious Qur’an,” according to the organization’s website.
The institute opened a Houston location earlier this year.
“Toward repairing the damage from this, I hope to establish new and meaningful relationships with my neighbors in the Jewish community,” Al-Rousan said in his statement Tuesday night. “I want to hear their concerns, learn from them and bring our communities closer together. I hope to work with them to alleviate any fears and to combat hatred in all forms, most especially anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim bigotry.”
He said he believes “that hatred can only thrive in climates of fear, anger and ignorance. Because of this, I welcome the opportunity to meet with Jewish leaders and other community leaders in the near future.”
‘Moving forward’
Al-Rousan did not respond to further questions about his statement or sermon Wednesday.
The ADL said Wednesday that it appreciated the Houston Muslim community’s response to Al-Rousan.
“Clearly other members of Houston’s Muslim community understand this kind of rhetoric has no place in Houston nor in any house of worship,” Gross said in the statement. “We would hope the Imam could show Jews, Muslims, and all members of our community that he is committed to moving forward in the spirit of reconciliation, cooperation, and understanding.”