A religious leader in Dearborn, Michigan compared Israel to Nazi Germany and ISIS in a sermon at the local Islamic Knowledge Institute.
“Zionism is today’s ISIS. If there was ISIS for Muslims, there is also ISIS for Jews,” Dr. Baqir Berry, the leader of a mosque in the Dearborn area, said in a sermon, according to a translation. Ta. By Middle East Research Institute (MEMRI). “This (Jewish) ISIS is a million times worse than the Muslim ISIS. We should know this. A million times (worse). ISIS members have not committed the crimes that the Zionists have committed. .”
The comments, made during a sermon last Friday, came as Mr. Dearborn gained national attention as a center of resistance to President Biden’s re-election campaign over his handling of the Gaza conflict.
Activists in Dearborn, which has the highest per capita Muslim population in the country, are running a campaign urging voters to write “uncommitted” on their ballots instead of supporting the president in February’s Michigan Democratic primary. More than 100,000 voters cast protest votes.
‘Death to America’ quickly emerges as the main slogan of US anti-Israel agitators
Islamic House of Knowledge leader Dr. Baqir Berry during his Friday sermon. (Memuri)
But concerns about Dearborn’s extremist rhetoric have also surfaced, most notably at a rally on the last Friday of Ramadan, where one speaker led attendees in chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” It became noticeable when he chanted this phrase.
Leaders of the “Listen to Michigan” and “Abandon Biden” movements, as well as local religious leaders, told Fox News Digital last week that this rhetoric is representative of a vocal minority of local residents. However, concerns remain.
“There is definitely support for Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran,” MEMRI Executive Director Stephen Stalinsky told Fox News Digital last week.
A Hamas member rides an armored vehicle during a celebratory rally in Gaza City. (Abid Khatib/Getty Images)
During a sermon last week, Berry doubled down on his anti-Israel rhetoric, comparing the Jewish state to Nazi Germany and the terrorist group ISIS, and claiming that Israel poses a “great and immediate” danger to humanity.
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“Just as Nazism posed an immediate danger to all surrounding countries, and just as the ISIS caliphate posed a great danger and everyone wanted to end this ISIS and Nazi existence. “You cannot eliminate this great (Israel) danger unless you remove (the entity),” Berry said, according to the MEMRI translation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes his weekly cabinet meeting at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, Israel, on January 7, 2024. (Reuters/Ronen Zvulun/Pool/File Photo)
To counter the perceived danger, Berry told attendees it was important to “re-educate” Jews.
“If we want a true democracy, we need to re-educate Jews…Zionists into a new culture of openness and seeing others as human beings, a culture of true peace and tolerance rather than racism,” Berry said. said.
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The Institute for Islamic Knowledge did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
