The Islamic Center of Greater Houston (ICHG) Masjid Bilal, which is believed to have been attended by Shamsud Din Jabbar, the perpetrator of the New Orleans attack, has been embroiled in controversy following revelations of antisemitic rhetoric propagated by its imam.
Eiad Soudan, the imam in question, has been accused of promoting antisemitic tropes, including claims that Jews aim to control the economy wherever they settle, a factor he suggests led to their persecution by Hitler.
As reported by The Post Millennial, Soudan's contentious remarks were made during a youth committee program at the center on November 17, 2023. The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported that Soudan, while discussing the history of Palestine, alleged that Jews, whom he referred to as the Israelites, have a propensity for economic control, which he claimed was the reason Hitler, whom he described as having a nice moustache, targeted them.
In a video uploaded to YouTube on November 25, 2023, Soudan is heard questioning, "Imagine, in Europe, what was happening to the Israelites there? As we said, [Jews were] killed, destroyed, persecuted, the question is why? Why were they treated this way? And why does the whole world today support them? Why does the whole world want them to stay in Palestine?
Soudan further claimed that Hitler's atrocities were not limited to Jews but extended to thousands of Muslims as well. He stated, Those who say that only the Israelites paid the price [in WWII] everybody paid the price, they say thousands of Muslims were killed."
The imam also suggested that European support for Israel stems from a fear of Jews returning to their countries. He cited a verse from the Quran, alleging that the Israelites are inclined to spread corruption. He said, Because if they dont stay in Palestine, they will go back to their countries, and those people, unfortunately, have one problem well, they have many problems, but thats one of the main problems they like to take control of the economy. Everywhere they go, whatever is the rule, as long as they get to the goal, the means don't matter. Interest, usury is prohibited for them.
Soudan continued, "Still they use it to get control of the economy. That is why the other countries don't want them back. So when they support them, they are not supporting them because they love them. Its like: 'Please stay there, well do whatever [it takes], stay there, dont come back.'
The imam concluded by quoting the Quran, "Allah told that in the Quran: 'And they (Jews) spread corruption across the land, and Allah does not like corrupters.' They seek corruption in the land."
The ICHG Masjid Bilal has been linked to Jabbar, who was found with an ISIS flag during his ramming attack in New Orleans. After crashing his rented Ford F-150 Lightning EV truck, Jabbar opened fire, resulting in 15 deaths and dozens of injuries. The mosque is situated just blocks away from a trailer park described by the New York Post as a squalid trailer park on the outskirts of Houston that is home to mostly Muslim immigrants, where Jabbar resided.
In the aftermath of Jabbars New Years attack, the mosque instructed its members to direct any inquiries from law enforcement or media to the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). This non-profit group has been linked to terrorism, specifically Hamas, according to a September 2013 Justice Department Office of Inspector Generals report. The report highlighted evidence from the 2008 federal case against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, the largest terror trial in U.S. history, which linked the non-profits leaders to Hamas, a specially designated terrorist organization." During the trial, "CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case," and was found to have funneled millions of dollars to Hamas.
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