Davis rejects Ammar Shahin's Call to genocide

The Davis, California community gathered Wednesday evening, August 8 in response to the call to genocide the Jews from Imam Ammar Shahin of the Islamic Center of Davis, rejecting his tepid apology.

h/t GR

Rabbi Taff speaks about Anti-Semitism in Davis

I wanted to update all of you on developments that have occurred since last week in regard to the anti-Semitic rant at a Davis Mosque.  Last Friday Imam Ammar Shahin at a religious service at the Islamic Center of Davis, said some of the most hateful comments about Jews that one could possibly imagine.  Among other things, he cited in Arabic and English a saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, that claims, “Judgment Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews, and the Jews hide behind stones and trees, and the stones and the trees say: Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah.”  He also prayed that the Al-Aksa mosque in Jerusalem be liberated from “the filth of the Jews,” and to “annihilate them down to the very last one. Do not spare any of them.”  No matter how one feels about any religious, political, or territorial dispute, the words spoken by the Imam were absolutely beyond any boundaries of decency and civility.  Those hate-filled comments have absolutely no place in our community.  Our entire Jewish community strongly condemned his words. In response to the Imam’s hurtful and hateful words, the Islamic Center of Davis with which he is associated, issued a statement on its website and Facebook page that further added to the insult and injury caused by the Imam’s words.  Instead of clearly and unequivocally repudiating the Imam’s hate speech, the Islamic Center of Davis misrepresented the facts surrounding the unfortunate tensions and violence at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  The Center accused a widely-respected organization (MEMRI) that translated the Arabic words of his sermon to English, by casting aspersions on that organization’s integrity, and implying that anyone who was offended by the hateful words was misinterpreting them.  The “If you were offended, we’re sorry” statement is about as close to blaming the victim, than placing the responsibility where it should be placed, on the Imam and on the Islamic Center of Davis.  We are gratified to hear that this morning Imam Shahin spoke words of contrition at a press conference in Davis, apologizing for his hate-filled words (you can read his statement below).   We are also pleased that the Islamic Center’s non-apology, has been removed from their website and Facebook page. The Imam’s words of apology and the Islamic Center’s response to remove the inflammatory defense of his sermon from Facebook and from its website is a result of a unified effort led by Rabbi Seth Castleman, the President of our Board of Rabbis.  Rabbi Castleman met for several hours this past Tuesday evening with the Imam and the leaders of the Islamic Center.  He solicited input and suggestions throughout the week from his rabbinic colleagues and other leaders in our Jewish community. I am personally grateful to him and to all who worked to insure that this sad episode is now behind us.  Our congregation and others have long supported and engaged in harmonious interfaith relations in the Sacramento area.  We believe that building bridges of understanding amongst our very diverse faith communities are vital ingredients to a healthy, just, and whole community.  A genuine apology is more than mouthing the words. It’s registering the damage that has been done. While I was not present in Davis this morning, I am told by those who were, that the Imam’s body language, his words, and his tone of voice acknowledged a deep recognition of the pain he and his Islamic Center has caused the Jewish Community.  And if that is indeed the case, then maybe true healing can be possible. I am not so naïve to know that there will be people in our community who will question whether the Imam’s words of apology and the actions of the Islamic Center of Davis are really heartfelt and genuine.  We all know that actions speak louder than words.  So, we will continue to be vigilant and when we see anti-Semitism rearing its ugly head, we will respond forcefully and resolutely, as our community has done this past week. Wishing you all a peaceful Shabbat.  Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Reuven Taff In addition to the Imam’s statement, feel free to read this story which was published yesterday in the J by Elissa Einhorn: http://www.jweekly.com/2017/07/27/apology-anticipated-following-davis-imams-anti-semitic-statements/ Please click HERE for the link to Imam Ammar's Statement

UC Davis Iman: Liberate Al Aqsa from the "Filth of the Jews"

The Islamic Center of Davis is located across the street from the University of California at Davis, and serves as the spiritual home for many of the campus' Muslim students.  It does not appear to be acting as a voice of interfaith tolerance and respect in our community.

The Imam at the Davis Islamic Center, Ammar Shahin quoted an anti-Semitic hadith on Friday, in a sermon translated by Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) 

From the MEMRI Facebook Page:

California Friday Sermon: Imam Ammar Shahin Cites Antisemitic Hadith, Prays for Annihilation of Jews, and Calls to Liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque from Their "Filth"

On July 21, the Egyptian-born American preacher Ammar Shahin delivered a Friday sermon at the Islamic Center of Davis, northern California, where he serves as Imam. In it he cited an antisemitic hadith, according to which the Muslims would fight the Jews on Judgment Day, and prayed to Allah to "liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews" and to "annihilate them down to the very last one," not sparing any of them. "Oh Allah, make this happen by our hands. Let us play a part in this," he prayed in the sermon, which was posted on the Davis Masjid YouTube channel. Imam Shahin, who had earned a B.A. in Islamic studies in Egypt, traveled in 1999 to the U.S., where he obtained a degree in computer engineering. He is listed as an instructor of the Zidni Islamic Institute, a California-based organization that teaches Sunni Islam in the West.

View the clip at MEMRI, here

Transcript follows:

Sheikh Ammar Shahin:

"Allah does not change the situation of people 'until they change their own situation.' The Prophet Muhammad said: 'Judgment Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews, and the Jews hide behind stones and trees, and the stones and the trees say: Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah...' They will not say: Oh Egyptian, oh Palestinian, oh Jordanian, oh Syrian, oh Afghan, oh Pakistani. The Prophet Muhammad says that they time will come, the Last Hour will not take place until the Muslims fight the Jews. We don't say if it is in Palestine or another place. Until they fight... When that war breaks out, they will run and hide behind every rock, and house, and wall, and trees. The house, the wall, and the tress will call upon the Muslims. It will say: Oh Muslim... It will not say: Oh Palestinian, oh Egyptian, oh Syrian, oh Afghan, oh Pakistani, oh Indian... No, it will say: Oh Muslim. Muslim. When Muslims come back... 'Come, there is someone behind me – except for the Gharqad tree, which is the tree of the Jews. Except for a certain tree that they are growing today in Palestine, in that area, except this form of tree, which they are growing today... That's the tree that will not speak to the Muslims.

[...]

"Oh Allah, support the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the rest of the Muslim lands. Oh Allah, liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews. Oh Allah, destroy those who closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Oh Allah, show us the black day that You inflict upon them, and the wonders of Your ability. Oh Allah, count them one by one and annihilate them down to the very last one. Do not spare any of them.

[...]

"Oh Allah, liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Oh Allah, make this happen by our hands. Let us play a part in this. Oh Allah, let us support them in words and in deeds. Oh Allah, let us support them in words and in deeds. Oh Allah, let us support them in words and in deeds."

UPDATE, via Algemeiner

The director of the Chabad center serving the University of California-Davis told The Algemeiner on Tuesday that he was “taking seriously” a Friday sermon made by the imam of the local mosque that some have called antisemitic.

Rabbi Shmary Brownstein said the comments from Ammar Shahin of the Islamic Center of Davis — which sits blocks away from Chabad of Davis — had “unacceptably advocated and incited hatred and violence against Jews”