Can you imagining forgiving Harvey Weinstein? Then why do some Jews forgive Imam Shahin?

Imam Ammar Shahin is the cleric at the Islamic Center of Davis (ICD) in Davis, California, who said last July statements like:

Oh Allah, liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews..... Oh Allah, count them one by one and destroy them down to the very last one. Do not spare any of them. Oh Allah, destroy them and do not spare their young or their elderly. Oh Allah, show us the black day that You inflict upon those who occupy Palestine. Oh Allah, show us the wonders of Your ability that you inflict upon them. Oh Allah, turn Jerusalem and Palestine into a graveyard for the Jews.
....Oh Allah, liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews. ...Oh Allah, count them one by one and annihilate them down to the very last one. Do not spare any of them.... Oh Allah, make this happen by our hands. Let us play a part in this. Oh Allah, let us support them in words and in deeds.

After the story broke, Shahin didn't apologize for what he said. he never disavowed his desire to have Allah destroy all Jews. He merely said, "To the Jewish community here in Davis and beyond, I say this deeply: I am deeply sorry for the pain I have caused.”

Restated: Sorry you took offense to my beliefs that you should all die and my congregants should participate in your slaughter.

From The California Aggie:

Community members who attended the Oct. 22 event “Walking Our Faith and Sharing a Meal,” an interfaith potluck and walk, were met with protesters when they arrived at the Islamic Center of Davis. The event began at Congregation Bet Haverim, where Rabbi Greg Wolfe presented; participants then walked together to the Islamic Center of Davis to hear a presentation by Imam Ammar Shahin. The group Davis United Against Hate had pre-planned to assemble in front of the Center to protest for the removal of Shahin.

Yes, a rabbi led a walk from his synagogue to the Islamic Center specifically to hear Imam Shahin.

What a proud moment for him! To genuflect in front of a man who says he wants that rabbi to die (Bet Haverim supports Israel.) To act more Christian than Christians do by turning the other cheek to a man who advocates genocide, just not as publicly nowadays. Wolfe is a good dhimmi, showing respect to the man behind hate speech and promising to honor Shahin in the name of interfaith goodwill or something.

Would Rabbi Wolfe also counsel any of his congregants who may have been sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein to forgive him, too? If a right wing rabbi went in front of his congregation and called for the annihilation of Muslims, and then pretend to apologize, would Wolfe be as forgiving?

We know the answer.

Luckily, there are still Jews with some self-respect, who demand that Imam Shahin be fired, just like Weinstein.

About 20 people gathered to protest in front of the Islamic Center and across the adjacent streets. Gail Rubin, the organizer of Davis United Against Hate, said the group is a “loose affiliation of residents in the community.” Recently, Rubin’s guest opinion piece was published in The Davis Enterprise. In the opinion piece, she asked members of the community to join her group in the “peaceful interfaith vigil” they held on Oct. 22 from 4 to 6 p.m.

“UC Davis students who are Muslims, all they have to do is cross the street […] and hear those words now to become radicalized,” Rubin said. “We’re here to say, ‘He needs to go.’ We are here because the interfaith community is being cynically manipulated by this Imam to stand with them as a show of solidarity.”

Frohar Osmani, a third-year international relations major, said the Islamic Center of Davis is where she and others go to feel safe; “one person doesn’t represent Islam,” Osmani said.

Protesters held signs that read “I am a Jew. Here in Davis an Imam wants me and my family DEAD,” “Speak out no hate peace please,” “teach love practice tolerance,” “no hate in Davis words hurt” and “stop attending Mosque that preaches genocide of the Jews.”

Alexander Groth, a professor emeritus from UC Davis’ Department of Political Science as well as a survivor of the Holocaust from the Warsaw ghetto, was one of the protesters in attendance. Groth emphasized the need to stand up against hateful and anti-Semitic speech and likened Shahin’s speech to Hitler’s call for the “decimation of Jews” in World War II. He also expressed dismay that the Davis “city council has done nothing” in response to the July sermon.

---

---

We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.