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Imam At Valley Cottage-based Mosque Calls For The Destruction of Zionist Jews
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An Imam speaking at a Friday sermon last week praised Hamas, called for Allah to ‘guide their (Hamas’) shooting’, prayed for Allah to ‘destroy the Zionist Jews’, and advocated for the liberation of the ‘Al-Aqsa Mosque from the plundering Jews’.
These words were invoked at the Islamic Center of Rockland on Mountainview Avenue in Valley Cottage, at a time where the Israel-Hamas war rages on but when public officials like Anthony Blinken have indicated that a ceasefire may be on the horizon.
Public officials and members of the Jewish community are condemning the remarks, calling them violent and antisemitic.
“It is my sincere hope that the members of the Islamic Center of Rockland and its leadership will clearly speak out against this disturbing, violent, and antisemitic rhetoric, and that we can use this hateful incident as a bridge towards further dialogue, understanding, and cooperation between our diverse faith communities,” said Congressman Mike Lawler in a statement issued Sunday. “That is totally unacceptable anywhere, but especially so in Rockland County.”
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 250 to Gaza. More than 100 were released in a November cease-fire. Around 110 are believed to be in Gaza, though Israeli authorities believe around a third are dead.
The vast majority of Gaza’s population has been displaced, often multiple times, and around 84% of the territory has been put under evacuation orders by the Israeli military, according to the United Nations.
Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 Hamas militants, without providing evidence.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 40,074 Palestinians have been killed in the war. The ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
“The Jewish Federation and Foundation of Rockland County, in coordination with the Rockland Board of Rabbis, and our partners at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), condemns a recent call to ‘Destroy the Zionist Jews!’ in a sermon at a local mosque,” said the Federation in a press release today. “On Friday August 9th, a speaker at the Islamic Center of Rockland, conveyed these inflammatory and threatening ideas to those in attendance and those watching remotely.”
“Our organizations, congregations and the over 100,000 Jewish residents of our County called upon the Islamic Center of Rockland to immediately repudiate this call for the destruction of Jews, and the inciteful language used in the rest of the sermon. It is our understanding that the mosque is now taking steps to do so. We look forward to a clear statement to this effect.”
“The last 10 months have carried the weight of tragedy for all,” said Ari Rosenblum, CEO of the Jewish Federation. “There is room for critical and constructive conversations between the Jewish and Muslim communities. But there is no room for hateful, violent speech like this. 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 Town of Clarkstown and Clarkstown Police Department have said they are aware of a video of a speaker at a local mosque within the Town, from August 9 that uses extreme language toward the Jewish community.
“Law enforcement has reviewed the video and can confirm there is no known or credible threat to the residents of Clarkstown or Rockland County,” the release says.
While there are no known or credible threats the Clarkstown Police Department has stepped up patrols around all houses of worship and culturally significant places.
“The Clarkstown Police Department’s Cultural and Religious Security Unit (CaReS) remains fully committed to ensuring the safety of the many religious and cultural institutions across our town,” said the town.
In response, the Islamic Center has posted this:
“On August 9, during a sermon at our masjid, a guest imam (prayer leader) delivered several hurtful statements that included a prayer to God for the destruction of Zionist Jews as part of the conflict in Gaza. We unequivocally condemn these 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.”
Read also: Islamic Center Wants To Build 30,000 Square-Foot Addition On Conservation Land In Clarkstown
