New York imam: ‘May Allah destroy the Zionist Jews’

The imam also asked for Allah to “liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the plundering Jews.”

By World Israel News Staff

A mosque in New York state was forced to publicly apologize after a clip of an imam calling for “Allah to destroy the Zionist Jews” sparked outrage.

Earlier in August, an imam – who has not been identified by age – led prayers at the Islamic Center of Rockland County, in Valley Cottage, New York.

According to a translation of his remarks by watchdog group MEMRI, the imam kicked off his sermon by leading a prayer asking Allah to “grant victory to our brothers in Gaza and in Palestine.”

He continued by praying for Allah to “guide their shooting” towards Israeli troops.

“Oh Allah, destroy the Zionist Jews,” he continued. “Seize them with a crushing grip, oh Lord of the Universe…make their plots backfire on them…shake the ground beneath their feet, oh Lord of the Universe.”

The imam also asked for Allah to “liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the plundering Jews, return it to the fold of the Muslims, and let us pray there, oh Lord of the Universe.”

Notably, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Temple Mount are fully controlled by the Jordanian Waqf Islamic group, and Jews are forbidden from openly praying at the site.

A clip of the imam’s sermon with English subtitles quickly went viral, with the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Rockland County saying in a statement that it was highly concerned about the imam’s “inflammatory and threatening ideas.”

“There is no room for hateful, violent speech like this,” Jewish Federation CEO Ari Rosenblum said.

“It is more than alarming; it is threatening to the overwhelming majority of our community who identify with the self-determination of the Jewish people in our ancestral homeland.”

The mosque which hosted the imam said in a media statement that it “unequivocally condemned” his statements.

“We sincerely apologize for any pain caused by these remarks and will ensure that our platform is not used to promote these types of harmful messages going forward,” the Islamic Center of Rockland County said.