The Islamic Center of Davis, led by an extremist anti-Semitic imam that petitioners want fired, is not an anomaly. There have been many Islamist preachers in America who teach such extremism or belong to radical organizations.
Here are 5 examples:
1.Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Falls Church, Virginia
The mosque was founded by members of the Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas network in America and is officially affiliated with two Brotherhood fronts designated by the U.S. Justice Department as unindicted co-conspirators in the largest terrorism-financing trial in U.S. history.
A 2002 U.S. government report said the mosque is “operating as a front for Hamas operatives in the U.S.”
Dar al-Hijrah is best known for being the chosen place of worship for two of the 9/11 hijackers and the Fort Hood shooter. From 2001 to 2002, it was led by Anwar al-Awlaki, who later became a senior Al-Qaeda terrorist.
In 2013, the mosque’s imam was videotaped preaching in favor of violent jihad at a Virginia high school after school closed. The mosque’s director of outreach publicly resigned this year after the imam’s comments in favor of female genital mutilation came to light. The imam was placed on administrative leave.
Read more in our profile of the mosque.
2.Anjuman-e-Najmi, Farmington Hills, Michigan
After two Muslim doctors were arrested for performing female genital mutilation on about 100 girls over 12 years, this mosque was accused of paying for the procedures. The two doctors held leadership positions in the mosque.
The mosque denies involvement and says it is cooperating with the investigation.
The mosque follows the Dawoodi Bohra Islamic sect based in India where female genital mutilation is a common practice. About one million Muslims belong to the sect globally.
3.Masjid at-Taqwa, Brooklyn, NY
This mosque is led by Siraj Wahhaj, one of the most radical and popular Islamist preachers in the country. His sermons in the 1990s were ferociously anti-American, advocated violent jihad and openly advocated turning America into a theocratic caliphate. He has since softened his tone without retracting those statements, telling Muslims not to fall into the “trap” of discussing sharia (Islamic) law when “we are not there yet.”
Wahhaj has had a close relationship with the various Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas-linked groups in the U.S. He was also a friend of the “Blind Sheikh,” who was behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
The mosque came under NYPD surveillance in the years after 9/11 because of evidence of terrorist and criminal activity, including possible use of the mosque to finance terrorists. The NYPD found that the mosque has an armed “security team” that has learned how to disarm police officers. The mosque was also found to be organizing paintball events where the participants were referred to as “jihad warriors.”
Read more in our profile of the mosque.
4.Islamic Center of Passaic County, Paterson, New Jersey
This mosque was founded by a Hamas operative who was later convicted of financing the terrorist group. Its leadership has had documented links to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
The current imam, Mohammad Qatanani, is accused by the Department of Homeland Security of lying on his green card about his conviction in Israel of being a Hamas terrorist. The Department of Homeland Security is seeking his deportation.
The DHS says he “engaged in terrorist activity” and is guilty of “material misrepresentation” and “engaging in unauthorized employment … by allowing an out-of-status alien to reside with him.” It also described a “highly dubious” transfer of thousands of dollars to the West Bank.
“It is certainly suspicious when a person who has been convicted of being a member of, and providing services, to Hamas, who has personal ties to a Hamas militant leader, and a Hamas fundraiser also sends undisclosed cash to the West Bank,” a 2008 DHS court filing states
Read more in our profile of the mosque.
5.Islamic Society of Boston, Massachusetts
This mosque has had strong links to the Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas network. It is best known for having the Tsarnaev brothers who committed the Boston Marathon bombings as attendees. The mosque leadership says they only attended briefly and were expelled for their radicalism.
One of the mosque’s founders was Abdurrahman Alamoudi, who was later convicted on charges related to his involvement with Al-Qaeda. He was also an open supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah. He later admitted to having been a secret member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi, used to be on the board of trustees of the mosque. The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned “charities” Qaradawi leads for financing Hamas. Among Qaradawi’s many radical statements, he preached that the Holocaust was Allah’s judgement upon the Jews and said he hoped that Muslims committed the next “judgement” of the Jews.
“Their writings and teachings were fanatical. I left and refused to go back to pray. I left Egypt to escape the Muslim Brotherhood, but I had found it there,” reported Sheikh Ahmed Mansour in 2013.
Read more in our profile of the mosque.