Dar Ul-Islah Islamic Center / Muslim Society of Bergen County

Waheed Khalid, a former president of Dar Ul-Islah/Muslim Society of Bergen County, expressed sympathy for Hamas in May 1998, saying, “They are trying to get the occupiers out of their home.” [1] In 2002, he refused to comment on the authenticity of the anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion but suggested it has credibility by saying that most people believe it. He also defended an Egyptian television show based on it, saying, “They have the right to show it, and I think it is news and it is quite interesting to know what it says.”[2]

Khalid is the chairman of the Bergen County chapter of the American Muslim Union. The mosque’s website indicates Saffet Catovic is a frequent guest speaker, as it has 14 sermons by him between 2009 and 2011.[3] In a September 24, 2010 sermon about the burning of the Koran, Catovic preached that the First Amendment does not protect it because it is “hate speech” designed to intimidate and incite violence.

Catovic used to be the New York representative of Benevolence International, a charity shut down for its ties to Al-Qaeda. In 1992, Catovic spoke at an Islamic Association for Palestine conference (a pro-Hamas Brotherhood entity) where he said the “long-range” goal is building a Caliphate. He also spoke at a military-themed “Jihad Camp” in 2001.[4]