Muhammad al-Asi
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Muhammad al-Asi (Arabic: محمّد العاصي) is an American imam, Muslim activist and Islamic scholar.
Life
Muhammad al-Asi was born in Grand Rapids, MI in 1951. At the age of 11 he moved to Lebanon. There, he completed high school and attended the Arab University of Beirut, where he intensively studied the Arabic language. In 1973, al-Asi returned to the U.S. and attended the University of Maryland, graduating with a degree in Government and Politics in 1979.
Al-Asi was elected as the Imam of the Islamic Center of Washington in 1981. He was fired by the mosque in 1983.[1]
Although he still identifies himself as Imam of the Islamic Center, the Center has stated that it has no affiliation with him.[2] He still holds Jumu'ah khutbahs [3] in protest every Friday on the sidewalk in front of the Islamic Center.[1]
Al-Asi is active in the global Islamic movement, most notably through his involvement with the Crescent International news magazine.[1] He frequently speaks at universities across the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Controversies
US Government and 9/11
On September 10, 2006, in an interview on Iranian Channel 2 (as translated by MEMRI), al-Asi stated that the attacks of 9/11 were planned by the United States Government. Specifically, al-Asi stated that "The events of 9/11 were planned by the American administration, to be used as a pretext and justification to fight terrorism."[4]
al-Asi had also stated in reference to the first Gulf War, "If Americans are placing their forces in the Persian Gulf, we should be creating another war front for the Americans in the Muslim world - specifically where American interests are concentrated."[4]
Anti-Semitism
Al-Asi has faced criticism for alleged anti-Semitic affiliations and statements. al-Asi is an associate of Ahmed Huber, a Swiss convert to Islam and neo-Nazi who was accused of financially supporting Al-Qaeda.[5][1] Al-Asi is also an associate of Malik Zulu Shabazz, leader of the New Black Panther Party.[1]
In an undated article, entitled "The Qur'an says: Zionist Israel will be shattered," posted on the website Muslimedia.com, a publication of Crescent International, al-Asi wrote that "the Israeli Zionists have convinced themselves that their presence in Palestine is permanent. They have even managed to deceive world public opinion into believing this myth. The brainwashing that has gone into this effort is phenomenal … To bolster their argument, they tell us indefatigably that the Jews are politically as strong as ever because they are in virtual command and control of the American and Russian administrations; not to mention their political and foreign policy clout in the European continent."[6]
Regarding the Israeli lobby, an article in the Arab American News quotes al-Asi as stating that "Very rarely we have American officials who can say no to the 700 pound gorilla on Capitol Hill that is the Israeli lobby. Many of us are wrong when we think that the U.S. government has the flexibility to adjust to the new reality. It doesn't have the flexibility when it has the toxins of the Israeli lobby in its bone marrow."[7]
Support for Iran
Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, al-Asi publicly expressed his support for the Islamic Republic and its leader Ayatollah Khomeini. Since the early 1980s he made several visits to Iran as a representative of Muslims in the United States and a supporter of the Islamic revival.
al-Asi is a research fellow at the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought, a pro-Iranian and pro-Hezbollah group.[1] He is also affiliated with the Islamic Human Rights Commission.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Mohammad al-Asi". www.adl.org. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
- ↑ Islamic head blasts U.S. ties to Israel
- ↑ Imam Muhammad al-Asi's website
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Special Dispatch Series No. 1287". MEMRI. September 13, 2006.
- ↑ Michael, George (2006). The Enemy of My Enemy: The Alarming Convergence of Militant Islam and the Extreme Right. University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1444-8. Search this book on
- ↑ "The Qur'an says: Zionist Israel will be shattered". Muslimedia.
- ↑ "Community gathers to remember Khomeini". The Arab American News.
External links
- islamiccenterdc.com, al-Asi's organization
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