Suleiman is the founder and president of the Irving, Texas-based Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research. He was invited to give Thursday's invocation by US Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), a Yaqeen Institute statement said. But back in 2014, Suleiman made a comment on social media alluding to the antisemitic idea that Israel controls American foreign policy, claiming that it is the 51st state.
“We pray for peace, not war," he said. "Love not hate. Benevolence, not greed. Unity, not division. And we commit ourselves to not betraying our prayers with actions that contradict them. Let us be for truth, no matter who, or for is against it." But Imam Suleiman has made several vehemently anti-Israel comments and also seemed to side with Hamas in an August 2014 Facebook post.
As the 2014 Gaza War broke out, Suleiman said on social media: “How befitting that the 3rd Intifada starts on the 27th night of Ramadan as worshippers are denied prayer in Masjid Al Aqsa.” He ended his post with a prayer of sorts: “God willing on this blessed night as the 3rd Intifada begins, the beginning of the end of Zionism is here. May Allah help us overcome this monster, protect the innocent of the world, and accept the murdered as martyrs. ameen.”
During the war, Suleiman also denied that Hamas uses human shields in an attempt to stop the IDF from retaliating against rocket fire sent from Gaza into Israeli civilian communities. “If Hamas was using human shields, wouldn't the Palestinians say something about it?” he wrote. “Surprise, surprise: apparently the IDF was guilty even as they tried to convince the world that the reason why they couldn't stop massacring civilians was because of the use of human shields. This is disgusting.”
In 2017, he also addressed a rally protesting the US Embassy move to Jerusalem was organized by American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), a group which seeks "to challenge the legitimacy of the State of Israel.”
He denied the Jewish claim to Jerusalem while speaking at the event. “Your recognition means nothing to us," he said. “Your maps mean nothing to us, your embassy is as illegitimate as the occupation it seeks to legitimize. Our land is our land, our dignity is our dignity. Our determination is our determination. Our boycott is our boycott. Our Aqsa [the holy mosque in Jerusalem] is our Aqsa. Our Palestine is our Palestine," he added.
He has also openly supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, as well as Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, and Women's March founder Linda Sarsour - all who have shared vehemently anti-Israel sentiments. In a 2018 blog post advocating for AMP, Suleiman said that the tide in the fight for Palestinians “is turning.”
“There is no longer one side dominating the political discourse in America,” he said. “In the last month [referring to December], we heard from newly-elected congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib openly express their support for BDS and Palestinian rights.”
“I can’t stress to you enough how essential it is to invest in Palestine advocacy work,” he wrote. “We need to organize at the legislative level to shift US policy toward one of justice and equality for Palestinians.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is facing criticism after Democrats invited anti-Israel Imam Omar Suleiman to deliver the invocation at the opening of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday.
Suleiman, who gave the invocation on the occasion of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, was invited by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). He delivered the invocation as Pelosi looked on, stressing themes of peace and unity. Despite the ecumenical spirit of Suleiman’s prayer, the Jerusalem Post noted that Suleiman is “known for his Israel-bashing antics.”
It provided an extensive list of examples: As the 2014 Gaza War broke out, Suleiman said on social media: “How befitting that the 3rd Intifada starts on the 27th night of Ramadan as worshippers are denied prayer in Masjid Al Aqsa.” He ended his post with a prayer of sorts: “God willing on this blessed night as the 3rd Intifada begins, the beginning of the end of Zionism is here. May Allah help us overcome this monster, protect the innocent of the world, and accept the murdered as martyrs. ameen.”
Also in 2014, Suleiman also made a comment on social media alluding to the antisemitic idea that Israel controls American foreign policy, claiming that it is the “51st state.” In 2017, he also addressed a rally protesting the US Embassy move to Jerusalem was organized by American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), a group which seeks “to challenge the legitimacy of the State of Israel.”
He denied the Jewish claim to Jerusalem while speaking at the event. “Your recognition means nothing to us,” he said. “Your maps mean nothing to us, your embassy is as illegitimate as the occupation it seeks to legitimize. Our land is our land, our dignity is our dignity.
Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) placed the blame for inviting Suleiman squarely at Pelosi’s feet and tweeted, “Totally unacceptable that Speaker Pelosi had Omar Suleiman give the opening prayer yesterday in the House. He compares Israel to the Nazis & calls them terrorists, supports Muslim Brotherhood, incites violence calling for a Palestinian antifada & the end of zionism, etc. Bad call.”
Earlier this year, Pelosi defended members of her caucus who have been accused of antisemitism, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), whom Pelosi has refused to remove from the House Foreign Affairs Committee despite a series of antisemitic and anti-Israel comments.
IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) – Threatened for his faith, a North Texas imam has found himself the target of ISIS after a new video recently surfaced calling for his assassination.
Imam Omar Suleiman said the video titled in Arabic, “Kill The Apostate Imams,” was brought to his attention by the FBI at the beginning of March. “I believe that their venom needs to be condemned. They’ve hijacked my religion,” said Suleman, who heads prayers at the Valley Ranch Islamic Center and is part of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research.
The clip, now removed from Youtube, was posted shortly after Suleiman’s interfaith work with Pastor Andrew Stoker of First United Methodist Church Dallas. Their video called, “An Imam, a Pastor and a Dream,” reaffirmed the idea of unity among religions.
“It makes me that much more determined when I see that hateful groups are increasing in their hatred toward us and trying to delegitimize us,” said Suleiman. “That tells me that we’re doing something right.” Suleiman is no stranger to threats, but this is a first from ISIS.
“You’ve got ISIS on one hand saying you can’t be a Muslim American because you cannot be loyal to your Muslim part,” said Sileiman. “And then you have Islamophobes saying you can’t be a Muslim American because you cannot be loyal to your American part and you’ve got a whole bunch of Muslim American’s in the middle saying, ‘Where do we fall?’ ”
Former FBI Deputy Director Buck Revell said the threat is serious. “Certainly we’ve had enough attacks here in the United States to know there is a capability,” said Revell, who worked for the FBI for 30 years.
Revell said these type of calls for killings from ISIS on Muslims are more common than most people might think. “The majority of people who are attacked in the Muslim religion are attacked by other Muslims,” said Revell.
Revell commends Suleiman for standing up against the terrorist group. Suleiman said he feels he has no choice. “Whether it’s a guy holding a rifle outside of my mosque shouting bigoted things and threatening me and my family, or it’s someone producing a video from some corner of Iraq, we have to be resilient,” said Suleiman.
A spokesperson for the FBI Dallas operations office said the FBI cannot confirm or deny any investigation but that it takes all threats seriously.
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| Imam Suleiman tweeted that Gaza War was a genocide, not a war. |
