Dear Readers,
The following missive is a response to Jasmine Zine’s book, “The Canadian Islamophobia Industry: Mapping Islamophobia’s Ecosystem in the Great White North,” in particular Chapter 1.5.
Ms. Zine has declared her concern for honest reporting and fact-checking, yet when I shared my concerns, the sins of omission and commission, she did not respond.
Ms. Zine is welcome to respond at any time.
Update March 31, 2023: I sent the article to Zine’s Twitter account. I discovered that she has blocked me on her account.
Ms. Zine,
In July 2019, I published a book titled “Fake News in the Era of Donald Trump: a case study of unethical journalism” that exposed the Toronto Star’s failure to adhere to its own ethical standards in journalism, in its four-page article on the supplications recited at Masjid Toronto mosque by Imam Ayman Elkasrawy.
Based on a series of investigative articles, and relying on reliable Islamic sources and translations, the book debunked the allegations made by the Toronto Star with exclusive information taken from Elkasrawy’s posts on social media, and an admission by an expert approached by Toronto Star who exposed the Star’s unprofessional practices.
Ms. Zine, on November 11, 2014, in response to an interview, you stated:
“This was the first time I’d been interviewed by a reporter who actually called me back to check that she had my quotes correctly and in the right context. I wish more would take the time to make sure they get it straight and maintain their journalistic integrity.”
Ms. Zine, I wish you had accorded me the same courtesy.
Your book “The Canadian Islamophobia Industry: Mapping Islamophobia’s Ecosystem in the Great White North” came to me as a surprise as you reprinted the already debunked Toronto Star’s allegations and made it a “case study” to demonstrate “The Islamophobia Industry in Action.”
I’ve sent several media inquiries on this matter, asking you for clarification. But, unfortunately, you chose not to respond or defend the statements you made in your book. So, I am reaching out to you, today, because you have not retracted the incorrect information you have published and promoted in social media, lectures and interviews.
Wilfrid Laurier University’s Policy for the Responsible Conduct of Research states:
“In their search for, and dissemination of knowledge, Laurier researchers shall practice honesty, accountability, openness and fairness.”
Based on my research, it appears that you violated Wilfrid Laurier University’s Policy for the Responsible Conduct of Research by, but not limited to, false allegations without establishing their validity, research misconduct, poor scholarship which results in inaccurate findings or conclusions and providing incomplete, incorrect or faulty information, systematically failing to respond to media inquiries and to retract the misinformation even after being confronted with the facts.
Before I publish my findings, which are detailed below, and approach universities involved in your Islamophobia study and the Social Sciences Research and Humanities Council of Canada (SSHRC) which partly funded this study, I’d like to give you another opportunity to respond to the previous media inquiries and the current one.
Questions:
Do you contest the findings of my book and my current research included below? If yes, on what evidence?
Why haven’t you removed the false information from your book even after receiving the evidence-based articles I sent you more than two months ago?
Why have you not updated your study with references to my book and other evidence-based articles that are highly relevant in order to understand the supplications recited at Masjid Toronto mosque?
Please respond by Tuesday 5PM, March 28, 2023. If you require more time, please let me know.
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #1
“To ensure validity, all media sources were cross-referenced and verified. The unstable nature of internet content and social-media posts as well as the proliferation of fake news required due diligence. Quotes were found on multiple sources and verified for content. This required sifting through media bias, fact-checking all claims, and diving deep into internet “rabbit holes.” Internet-based content can be removed and “scrubbed,” posing an increased risk of broken links and citations. This was remedied where possible through screen captures, downloading videos, and archiving links through tools such as Wayback Machine.”
The Facts
On November 11, 2014, Jasmin Zine stated:
“This was the first time I’d been interviewed by a reporter who actually called me back to check that she had my quotes correctly and in the right context. I wish more would take the time to make sure they get it straight and maintain their journalistic integrity.”
Jasmin Zine did not follow her own proclaimed research standards by reprinting the already unequivocally debunked Toronto Star’s allegations.
Zine completely ignored the plethora of investigative articles laden with evidence that support the translation offered by Jonathan Halevi, who copied the exact English translation of the Arabic text from esteemed Muslim scholars and Islamic literature, including Canadian:
- “Are non-Muslims are impure/ filthy?” [Hebrew] by Jonathan D. Halevi (August 24, 2017)
- “Is the Toronto Star Canada’s #FAKENEWS media outlet?” by Diane Weber Bederman (January 15, 2018)
- “Toronto Star’s “Fake News” Serving “Political Islam” by Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld (March 3, 2018)
- “Ibrahim Hindy sets his own definition of antisemitism in Muslim prayers” by Diane Weber Bederman (May 8, 2018)
- “Toronto Star publishes fake news but refuses to retract even after being proven wrong” by Diane Weber Bederman (May 28, 2018)
- “Was Toronto Star’s front page exposé defamatory fake news?” by Diane Weber Bederman (July 16, 2018)
- “Why doesn’t the Toronto Star correct and apologize for its front page #FakeNews article?” by Diane Weber Bederman (July 24, 2018)
- “Toronto Star #FAKENEWS It’s not manipulation…it’s an ellipsis” by Diane Weber Bederman (July 26, 2018)
- “#FakeNews: What didn’t Toronto Star tell readers about its “independent” expert?” by Diane Weber Bederman (July 31, 2018)
- “#FAKENEWS Toronto Star concealed Ayman Elkasrawy’s affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood” by Diane Weber Bederman (August 1, 2018)
- “Toronto Star #FakeNews: Writing about social media posts but neglecting to check them!” by Diane Weber Bederman (August 6, 2018)
- “#FAKENEWS Toronto Star ignored Ayman Elkasrawy’s sympathy with Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades” by Diane Weber Bederman (August 7, 2018)
- “#FakeNews Toronto Star-where were Elkasrawy’s anti-Jewish/ Israel posts?” by Diane Weber Bederman (August 8, 2018)
- “Toronto Star #FAKENEWS What did Ayman Elkasrawy mean by reciting “slay them one by one” by Diane Weber Bederman (August 10, 2018)
- “#FakeNews Toronto Star: What prayers are shared in the Masjid Toronto Mosque?” by Diane Weber Bederman (August 13, 2018)
- “Why did #FakeNews Toronto Star ignore Elkasrawy’s Third Supplication” by Diane Weber Bederman (August 23, 2018)
- “Why Canadian Imams Recite Prayers against the “Filth of the Jews” by Jonathan D. Halevi (November 26, 2018)
- “Canadian Islamic Sermons, Literature on Killing Jews and Enemies of Islam” by Jonathan D. Halevi (December 18, 2018)
- “#FakeNews spreads like a virus when errors and omissions are not corrected” by Diane Weber Bederman (April 1, 2019)
- Book – “Anatomy of #FakeNews in the Era of Donald Trump is a case study of unethical journalism” by Diane Weber Bederman (July 2019)
On April 24, 2021, Stephen Ellis, a lawyer and prominent anti-Israel activist, posted on Facebook the following message to Jonathan Halevi “Just a note for Lt. Col. (ret.) Jonathan Halevi… I’m watching YOU too.” In a comment to his post, Ellis attached a link to Halevi’s article on Canadadocs.org titled: “Stephen Ellis shares meme supporting Palestinian “resistance.” Jasmin Zine commented: “Keep me posted on what you find!”
Zine’s comment is clear-cut evidence that as of April 24, 2021, eighteen months before publishing her book, she was fully aware of Canadadocs.org – “The Documentation Project” – that is operated by Jonathan Halevi who is the sole author of all articles on this website that documents “Anti-Semitic and Anti-Israel Campaigns in Canada” on behalf of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
Based on her statement that “[t]o ensure validity, all media sources were cross-referenced and verified” and “[t]his required sifting through media bias, fact-checking all claims, and diving deep into internet “rabbit holes,” is it fair to assume that Zine must have read Halevi’s articles on Canadadocs.org and particularly his articles on the prayers at Masjid Toronto mosque recited by Eyman Alkasrawy?
A search of the word “Elkasrawy” on Canadadocs.org returned two articles by Jonathan Halevi:
- “Why Canadian Imams Recite Prayers against the “Filth of the Jews” (November 26. 2018)
- “Canadian Islamic Sermons, Literature on Killing Jews and Enemies of Islam” (December 18, 2018)
In the article titled “Why Canadian Imams Recite Prayers against the “Filth of the Jews,” Halevi provided a myriad of reliable Islamic sources that support his translation “Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews.”
Moreover, in both articles, Halevi attached links to his writings and those by Diane Weber Bederman and Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld (articles 1-16 of the above list) that debunked the Toronto Star’s allegations.
Jasmin Zine did not mention any of this evidence or Halevi’s affiliation with the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (jcpa.org) and The Documentation Project (Canadadocs.org).
Furthermore, in a media inquiry sent to Jasmin Zine on January 23, 2023, I attached articles 1-17 and 19-20 of the above list, asking her, “Were you aware of the plethora of publications debunking the Toronto Star article before printing your book and since then?” Zine never responded.
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #2
“Aside from his ties to the Israeli military, Halevi was also a prominent blogger at Rebel News (see chapter 4), where he participated in weekly talks with Rebel founder, Ezra Levant.”
The Facts
Mr. Halevi stated that he served as an advisor for policy planning for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs before retiring in 2005. Since then, he has had no ties with the Israeli military.
Halevi was not a “prominent blogger at Rebel News” and he never contributed exclusive articles to Rebel News. Rebel News reposted some of Halevi’s articles that were originally published on CIJ News.
On November 23, 2017, Halevi sent Toronto Star’s Jennifer Yang:
“I am not the “go-to-pundit” for Rebel Media. I was interviewed in one singular instance by The Rebel Media before it was incorporated. I was not hired or paid by The Rebel Media and did not and does not represent or speak on its behalf.”
Ezra Levant, Rebel News founder, stated:
To whom it may concern:
This is to confirm that Jonathan Dahoah Halevi is not and has not been a pundit for The Rebel media. Mr. Halevi was interviewed once by The Rebel in early 2015. He was not hired or paid by The Rebel and did not and does not represent or speak on behalf of us.
Yours truly,
Ezra Levant
The Rebel.media
As evidence for her allegation that “he [Halevi] participated in weekly talks with Rebel founder, Ezra Levant”, Jasmin Zine provided the following URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXDtXWs0wko.
However, the video clip, that the link leads to was uploaded on Youtube on August 24, 2011, four years before Rebel News came to existence, and it features Halevi’s interview to Sun News.
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #3
“El-Kasrawy recited a supplication that was recorded and posted on the mosque’s website.”
The Facts
Ayman Elkasrawy’s supplications were posted on Masjid Toronto Mosque’s YouTube Channel. The original URLs of the two videos in question are https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzXCGPvY3HM and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqSzKIhTWo8 (both were removed by Masjid Toronto Mosque).
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #4
“The video of Elkasrawy’s prayer was initially posted on CIJ News, an obscure far-right media outlet that has since been taken down, although some posts remain archived on the pro-Israel platform Honest Reporting… Halevi… continued to make posts about the case to his CIJ News site before eventually taking it down after the Toronto Star contacted him.”
The Facts
CIJ News, the Canadian Investigative Journal News, was not “a far-right media outlet.” Instead, it was known for its strict informative and objective news reporting with a complete transcription of statements and speeches from the government and the opposition. Some CIJ News exclusive stories, such as the supplications at Masjid Toronto, gained national coverage.
Furthermore, this specific CIJ News article that stood at the heart of Jasmin Zine’s chapter demonstrates Halevi’s well-known strict methodology, presenting only facts and avoiding judgmental statements.
Halevi even gained a compliment for his translations and balanced reporting from Mazin AbdulAdhim, a prominent Canadian Muslim scholar and Imam of Iraqi descent who is affiliated with the pro-Caliphate Islamic global movement of Hizb ut-Tahrir. The “he” refers to Halevi. Mazin AbdulAdhim: “To be honest, I appreciate his clarification. Only one of those quotes is out of context (the “eye for an eye” comment). He is actually surprisingly balanced in most of his reporting on me.”
In her book, published in October 2022, Zine acknowledges that CIJ News website was taken down in mid 2017 (unrelated to Toronto Star’s media inquiry). The Wayback Machine (Archive.org) did not archive CIJ News website. These facts amplify the quandary. How could Jasmin Zine confidently call CIJ News “an obscure far-right media outlet” without having access to its vast content?
Ironically, in her book, Zine did not attach Halevi’s article on the Elkasrawy’s prayers at Masjid Toronto mosque nor provide a link to that article or any other articles published by CIJ News. How is it possible for the reader to verify Zine’s statements regarding the article without the link to the article itself?
Zine stated that “some posts [of CIJ News website] remain archived on the pro-Israel platform Honest Reporting.” However, the link Zine provided, https://archive.is/9GSZs, takes us to Honest Reporting’s article that does not contain any of CIJ news articles, but only provides screenshots of several articles by the Toronto Star and the Toronto Sun.
Aside from being meticulous in accurately translating the prayers, using the exact translation of reliable Islamic sources and embedding the original videos, Halevi added background information that supported his translation and provided more context for these prayers.
Here are the relevant excerpts from Halevi’s article that Jasmin Zine completely ignored (I added new titles for the reader’s convenience and a note):
The position of Masjid Toronto Mosque on jihad
Masjid Toronto mosque in downtown Toronto is affiliated with the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC). The mosque operates in two locations in downtown Toronto: Masjid Toronto at Dundas (168 Dundas St. West) and Masjid Toronto at Adelaide (84 Adelaide St. East).
Dr. Wael Shihab was appointed in April 2014 to a full-time resident Imam of the mosque Masjid Toronto. Shihab has a PhD in Islamic Studies from Al-Azhar University and he was the head of the Fatwa (Islamic opinion) Unit of IslamOnline.net (English website) and the Shari’ah (Islamic Law) consultant of the Shari’ah department of Onislam.net.
He is also a member of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) headed by Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, who played a major role in launching both aforementioned websites.
The following are some of Shihab’s views as presented in articles and Islamic rulings posted on Onislam.net:
- The solution to the global violence, extremism and oppression is Islam
- Qaradawi’s book “Jurisprudence of Jihad” should serves as a guidance to Muslims
- Thieves’ hands should be chopped off no matter their social status
- Person who underwent gender reassignment surgery should return to his original gender
- Muslims should avoid gays as homosexuality is evil and succumbing to the temptations of the Satan
- Wife should not reject her husband’s call for having sex
Shaykh Abdool Hamid’s prayers at Masjid Toronto Mosque on jihad
O Allah! Raise the standing of Islam and the Muslims
And humiliate the polytheism, the polytheists, the infidels and the atheists
And Give victory (help) to your slaves who believe in the oneness of Allah
O Allah! Give victory to our oppressed and deprived Muslim brothers and the mujahideen (those who engage in jihad) everywhere
O Allah! Pour on them patience and steadfast their feet
And give them victory over the disbelieving people
And give them victory over the evildoers
And give them victory over the criminals
[Embedded video] 8 July 2016 | Khutbah by Shaykh Abdool Hamid – 27:00 (https://archive.is/o/SSaH1/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-gAPx4ZDeE)
The sermon that was delivered by Shaykh Abdool Hamid. It was published on YouTube on July 8, 2016 (click HERE). He recited similar supplications at Masjid Toronto mosque also on:
- June 6, 2016 (click HERE)
- December 11, 2015 (click HERE)
- November 13, 2015 (click HERE)
- August 14, 2015 (click HERE)
- June 12, 2015 (click HERE)
- May 13, 2015 (click HERE)
- May 8, 2015 (click HERE)
- January 8, 2016 (click HERE)
Similar prayers on jihad and Jews by Imam Sayed AlGhitawi
Similar prayers were also delivered in 2014 by Imam Sayed AlGhitawi (سيد الغتاوي) at Al Andalous Islamic Center in Montreal, Quebec. At the end of his sermons AlGhitawi recited supplications to Allah to support the mujahideen (Muslims who engage in jihad) in Palestine and to inflict total destruction on the Jews.
The following are excerpts from Sayed AlGhitawi’s supplications in 2014 (originally in Arabic – click HERE and HERE):
Supplication – A
O Allah, give victory to our brothers who engage in Jihad for Your sake in everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds
O Allah, give victory to our brothers who engage in Jihad in Palestine
O Allah, connect to their hearts
O Allah, make their feet firm
O Allah, make their feet firm
O Allah, give them victory over their enemy
O Allah, destroy the accursed Jews
O Allah, show us the black day you inflict on them
O Allah, show us the wonders of your power and ability inflicted on them, O the most Merciful
O Allah, show us how you do to them what you did to [the peoples] of ʿĀd and Thamud [ancient peoples that perished by Allah because they didn’t heed the warnings of the prophets]
O Allah, show us how you do them what you did to [the people] of ʿĀd and Thamud
O Allah, rain down on them rain of stones made of Sigil stones, O Lord of the Worlds
O Allah, rain down on them rain of stones made of Sigil stones, O the most Merciful
O Allah, make their children orphans and their women widows
Supplication – B
O Allah, give victory to our brothers who engage in Jihad in Palestine, O Lord of the Worlds
O Allah, make their feet firm
O Allah, make their feet firm
O Allah, unite their ranks…
O Allah, destroy the accursed Jews
O Allah, show us the black day you inflict on them
O Allah, show us the wonders of your power and ability inflicted on them, O the most Merciful
Shook the ground beneath their feet
O Allah, kill them one by one
O Lord, don’t leave any of them [alive]
See also Quebec mosque says calls for death of Jews were taken out of their “real context” (click HERE).
Note: Al Andalous Islamic Center did not contest Halevi’s translation.
A link to an Islamic publication shared by ICNA Canada about the future killing of Jews
See also: ICNA Canada online syllabus: “Muslims will dominate the Jews”, kill them (click HERE).
[an excerpt from the linked article]
“[Hadith] 1820. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah(PBUH) said, “The Last Hour will not come until the Muslims fight against the Jews, until a Jew will hide himself behind a stone or a tree, and the stone or the tree will say: `O Muslim, there is a Jew behind me. Come and kill him,’ but Al-Gharqad tree will not say so, for it is the tree of the Jews.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].”
“Commentary: Gharqad is a thorny plant which is well-known in the area of Palestine. Allah can bestow the power of speech to whatever thing He likes. When Allah wills, He will give mastery to the Muslims. He will help them even by means of plants and stones which will assist the Muslims against the Jews by informing them about the whereabouts of the Jews.”
“The Jews have predominance over the Muslims in spite of the fact that they are a minority. But according to this true narration, the situation will definitely change before the Day of Resurrection, and the Muslims will dominate the Jews. Allah is the Master and Rubb of everything.”
Islamic publications in Canada confirming Halevi’s translation
Activists at the Islamic booth at Toronto’s Dundas Square have been offering for passerby free literature on Islam. CIJnews obtained some of these books and booklets:
Muslim Prayer Handbook for Beginners
The booklet recommends Muslims to recite a number of supplications to Allah to overcome and defeat the enemies of Islam who are identified as the disbelieving people (click HERE):
…Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions, establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving people.
Our Lord! Bestow on us patience, make our foothold sure, and give us help against the disbelieving folk.
Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget, or fall into error. Our Lord! Let not on us a burden like that which You laid on those before us. Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving people.
24 Hours With The Prophet
The booklet recommends on the following supplications (click HERE):
- 71-73
The Witr (Night Prayer)
“… O Allah, we seek your help and request Your forgiveness and believe and trust in You and we praise You in the best manner and we thank You and we are not ungrateful to You, we also abandon and reject anyone who disobeys You.
“O Allah, we worship nothing but You, and we perform prayers for You, we Prostrate to You, and we hope for Your mercy and we fear Your punishment. Your punishment. Your punishment surely overtakes the disbelievers.”
- 120-121
“For Patience and endurance
“Our Lord! Bestow on us patience, make our foothold, and give us help against the disbelieving folk.” [2:250]
“The most comprehensive Supplication
“…Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget, or fall into error. Our Lord! Lay no us a burden like that which You laid on those before us. Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” [2:286]
“The Prophet PBUH said: “Whoever recites the two verses [2:285:286] at night, it will sufficient to protect him from misfortune.” (Bukhari)
- 122
“To overcome enemies
“Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions, establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” [3:147]
- 124
Protection from oppressors
“…Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the people who are Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers) (i.e. do not make them overpower us). And save us by Your Mercy from the disbelievers.” [10:85:86]
- 156
“Protection from the enemies
“O Allah, we beg You to restrain them by their necks and we seek refuge in You from their evil.” (Abu Dawood)
The Accepted Dua by Abu Umar Abdulazeez, the Imam of Abu Huraira Center in Toronto click HERE):
“Our Lord, forgive us our sins and the excessiveness [committed] in our affairs and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people.”
“O Allah, destroy the disbelievers that deny Your messenger, and block others from Your path, and descend upon them Your punishment, O Allah, destroy the disbelievers who were given the Book [Jews and Christians]. You are the True God.”
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #5
“[A] Toronto Star article noted that the video had resurfaced in a digitally manipulated version that was spliced together with mistranslated Arabic. The doctored video…”
The Facts
The video in question was edited, but not “digitally manipulated” or “doctored.” On February 19, 2017, a day after CIJ News published the article about the Masjid Toronto prayers, the Rebel News posted a segment of an edited video in an article titled “Hate crime”? What they say INSIDE Toronto mosque that was protested” by Victor Laszlo, Rebel Commentator (see here, here and here). On June 23, 2017, Political Correctness Youtube channel shared the edited video. CIJ News never used nor promoted any edited video of Elkasrawy’s supplications.
CIJ News translated two separated segments from two different videos featuring Ayman Elkasrawy’s supplications at Masjid Toronto.
The first segment read:
O Allah! We ask you… [to give us] victory over the enemies
O Allah! Raise the standing of Islam and the Muslims
O Allah! Give victory (help) to your oppressed slaves all over the world, east to west
O Allah! Give victory (help) to your slaves who believe in the oneness of Allah, O the Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Destroy the criminals
O Allah! Destroy anyone who inflicts injustice on your slaves, O the Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them.
O Allah! Do not defer [it] on them
O Allah! Seize them with the seizure of One Mighty, Omnipotent [referring to a Quranic verse that deals with the punishment Allah inflicted on Pharaoh and his people]
The second segment read:
[O Allah!] Give us victory over the disbelieving people…
O Allah! Give victory to Islam and raise the standing of the Muslims
And humiliate the polytheism and polytheists
O Allah! Give victory (help) to your slaves who believe in the oneness of Allah, O the Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Give them victory over the criminal people
O Allah! Destroy anyone who killed Muslims
O Allah! Destroy anyone who displaced the sons of the Muslims
O Allah! Count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them
O Allah! Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews!
O Allah! Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews!
Halevi marked the missing lines after the first sentence with an ellipsis and embedded the original and unedited video in the article. These irrelevant lines read:
Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower. [congregants:] Ameen.
O Allah, Controller of the hearts make my heart steadfast in Your religion. [congregants:] Ameen.
O Allah, Controller of the hearts and minds, direct our hearts to Your obedience. [congregants:] Ameen.
O Allah, we ask You for Your Love, and the love of whoever loves You, [congregants:] Ameen, and the love of deeds that will bring us closer to Your Love. [congregants:] Ameen.
And those who say, “Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell. Indeed, its punishment is ever adhering; [congregants:] Ameen.
Indeed, it is evil as a settlement and residence. [congregants:] Ameen.
Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes, [congregants:] Ameen, and make us an example for the righteous. [congregants:] Ameen.
O Allah, forgive us and our parents of our sins. [congregants:] Ameen.
O Allah, have mercy upon them as they brought us up [when we were] small. [congregants:] Ameen.
O Allah, protect the youths of the Muslims. [congregants:] Ameen.
O Allah, protect the girls of the Muslims. [congregants:] Ameen.
O Allah, grant them with righteous husbands and righteous wives. [congregants:] Ameen.
O Allah, grant them with a righteous offspring. [congregants:] Ameen.
Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good, [congregants:] Ameen, and in the Hereafter [that which is] good, [congregants:] Ameen and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. [congregants:] Ameen.
As shown above, skipping these lines did not alter the message of the prayer in any shape or form.
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #6
“The doctored video was reposted to the now defunct CIJ News website under the title Supplications at Masjid Toronto Mosque: “Slay them one by one and spare not one of them.”
The Facts
The “doctored video” in question was never posted or reposted in the CIJ News website. In CIJ News original article on the prayers titled “Supplications at Masjid Toronto Mosque: “Slay them one by one and spare not one of them,” Jonathan Halevi embedded the original videos from Masjid Toronto Mosque’s official Youtube channel.
The archived CIJ News article (accessed on February 19, 2017), preserved the original titles, URLs and the length of the videos:
- Ramadan 1437 Hijri /2016 – 11th Night Taraweeh – 1:26:49 (https://archive.is/o/SSaH1/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzXCGPvY3HM)
- Ramadan 1437 Hijri/2016 – 29th Taraweeh – 1:41:31 (https://archive.is/o/SSaH1/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqSzKIhTWo8)
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #7
“The case of Ayman Elkasrawy illustrates the way the Islamophobia industry operates to orchestrate controversies through networked actions, disseminating Islamophobic narratives, fabricating information, and weaponizing religious texts to demonize Muslims and support anti-Muslim propaganda… A slanted translation then transformed this Quranic verse from “Thou art our Protector. Help us against those who stand against faith” to “Give us victory over the disbelieving people.” These fabrications served to weaponize the Qu’ran (see chapter 3) to support Islamophobic discourses that represent Islam as a violent and radical faith.”
The Facts
The prayer in question appears in the Quran in Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah), verse 250. Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Imam of Anatolia Islamic Centre in Mississauga, Ont., and a senior member of the Canadian Council of Imams, translated this verse in “The Clear Quran” as “give us victory over the disbelieving people” exactly as Halevi did.
Khattab’s translation of the Quran – “The Clear Quran” – “has been officially approved by Al-Azhar (the most prestigious school of Islamic knowledge in the world) and endorsed by ISNA [Islamic Society of North America] and the Canadian Council of Imams.”
The same translation was confirmed by the Saudi translation of the Quran Saheeh International (recommended by Sheik Yusuf Estes, Dr. Zakir Naik, Dr. Sabeel Ahmed, Imam Siraj Wahaj and Dr. Bilal Philips), ICNA Canada (Islamic Circle of North America-Canada), The Markaz Oasis, Markaz-Ul-Islam (Islamic Centre in Edmonton, Alberta), Shaikh Abu Umar Abdul Azeez, Scholar, Author, Translator and Imam at Abu Huraira Center, Toronto, American Muslim scholar Yasir Qadhi, Toronto Dawah Centre, Walk-In Islamic infoCenter, Islamic book of Duas (prayers), among others.
Zine’s allegation comes into the realm of absurdity. Based on her logic, Dr. Mustafa Khattab’s translation is a “fabrication,” and Khattab, Al-Azhar Institute, ISNA [Islamic Society of North America], the Canadian Council of Imams, ICNA Canada (Islamic Circle of North America-Canada), The Markaz Oasis, Markaz-Ul-Islam (Islamic Centre in Edmonton, Alberta), Shaikh Abu Umar Abdul Azeez, Scholar, Author, Translator and Imam at Abu Huraira Center, Toronto, American Muslim scholar Yasir Qadhi, Toronto Dawah Centre, Walk-In Islamic infoCenter, Islamic book of Duas (prayers), the Saudi translation of the Quran Saheeh International (recommended by Sheik Yusuf Estes, Dr. Zakir Naik, Dr. Sabeel Ahmed, Imam Siraj Wahaj and Dr. Bilal Philips) – ARE ALL complicit in promoting these “fabrications” to “weaponize the Qu’ran to support Islamophobic discourses that represent Islam as a violent and radical faith.”
To better understand the background of the false allegations made by both the Toronto Star and Jasmin Zine, here are excerpts from an article I published on July 24, 2018:
The Star has chosen to dispute the translation of a Muslim prayer by Lt Col (Ret.) Jonathan Halevi, internationally respected investigative journalist and researcher who testified before the Senate on radical Islam in Canada.
From your article Sun., Oct. 22, 2017:
“The YouTube clip was particularly troubling for Arabic sociolinguist and dialectologist Atiqa Hachimi, an associate professor at the University of Toronto.
This is because the clip was digitally manipulated: the first two seconds were cut and pasted from a different prayer Elkasrawy had made two minutes earlier. A slanted translation then transformed this Quranic verse from “Thou art our Protector. Help us against those who stand against faith” to “Give us victory over the disbelieving people.”
“It changed their meaning in such a way as to promote the dangerous myths that violent extremism and hate are inherent to Islam,” Hachimi said.
- Original text in Arabic: انصرنا على القوم الكافرين
- Jonathan Halevi’s translation: Give us victory over the disbelieving people
- Toronto Star’s translation: Help us against those who stand against faith
From my investigation on this matter I learned that on July 25, 2017, Jonathan Halevi provided The Star with a few examples of the Islamic sources he used to translate the Ayman Elkasrawy’s supplications. Halevi added:
“Other parts of the supplications recited at Masjid Toronto can be found translated into Arabic on Islamic sites and in free books at the Islamic booth at Toronto’s Dundas Square (see below).”
In yet another detailed email on the same day Halevi wrote amongst other things:
“The original videos were embedded in CIJnews with no editing, manipulation etc. They were available till Masjid Toronto YouTube Channel was deleted. CIJnews published Elkasrawy’s statement in its entirety in which he explained the context of his supplications. CIJnews translation was mainly based on Islamic sources (see my previous email and below).”
“CIJnews translation: “[O Allah] give us victory over the disbelieving people.” (Translation Saheeh International. Copies of Saheeh International are being distributed for free across Canada by Dawah groups including at Dundas Square. They were also handed out to visitors at Jam’e Abu Bakr Siddique Masjid, a Sunni mosque located at 2665 Lawrence Ave. East in Toronto, during an open house celebrating the first Ontario Islamic Heritage Month on October 29, 2016.)”
The Star DID NOT publish Halevi’s statements clarifying that his translation was based on Islamic sources.
The Star also DID NOT mention that Halevi relied on an official translation of the Quran (Saheeh International) in his translation of the Quranic verse: “Give us victory over the disbelieving people.”
Halevi’s translation of this verse is supported by many credible Islamic sources in the Muslim world as well as in Canada.
In his translation of the Quran “The Clear Quran”, Dr. Mustafa Khattab, Imam of Anatolia Islamic Centre in Mississauga, Ont., and member of the Canadian Council of Imams, translated the Quranic verse in question exactly as Jonathan Halevi: “Give us victory over the disbelieving people.” Source: The Clear Quran-A Thematic English Translation, Dr. Mustafa Khattab, Siraj Publications, Canada, 2016, pp. 76, 84, 102.
“The Clear Quran” page on Amazon states the following:
“About the translation… To achieve accuracy, the translator has made use of the greatest and most celebrated works of old and modern tafsir (Quran commentaries), and shared the work with several Imams in North America for feedback and insight…
“This translation has been officially approved by Al-Azhar (the most prestigious school of Islamic knowledge in the world) and endorsed by ISNA and the Canadian Council of Imams…
About the translator… With two decades of experience in Islamic translation, Dr. Mustafa Khattab is an authority on interpreting the Quran… Dr. Khattab received his Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. in Islamic Studies in English with Honors from Al-Azhar University’s Faculty of Languages & Translation… He is a member of the Canadian Council of Imams…”
Other Islamic sources that support Jonathan Halevi’s translation of the Quranic verse: “Give us victory over the disbelieving people”:
- Shaikh Abu Umar Abdul Azeez (Abdul Azeez al-Athari), Scholar, Author, Translator and Imam at Abu Huraira Center, Toronto: انصرنا على القوم الكافرين “Give us victory over the disbelieving people”. Source: The Accepted Dua [Supplication], complied and translated by Abu Umar; Abdulazeez, http://abenefitaday.com/ in conjunction with Abu Hurairah Centre, Third Edition, 2013, Toronto, Canada, pp. 25, 82, 85. The book has been distributed for free by Canadian Dawah groups, including Walk-In Islamic infoCenter.
- Hosam Helal: “Grant us victory over those who made us their enemies” انصرنا على من عادانا.[1] Imam Hosam Helal currently serves as the Imam and Religious Affairs Director at Islamic Society of St. Catharines. He also serves as the Associate Chaplain at Brock University, an instructor at ISNA Canada, and a director of Mishkah Social Services. He previously served as the Imam at the Muslim Association of Hamilton and Program Coordinator at ISNA Canada. He has served as Imam, khateeb, teacher, and instructor for the last 10 years at several universities throughout Canada and the United States.[2]
- 24 Hours with the Prophet, reviewed by Sheikh Abu-Khalid Almadani, Islamic Communication Trust, Karachi, Pakistan, p. 122 – انصرنا على القوم الكافرين“Give us victory over the disbelieving people”. The book has been distributed for free by Canadian Dawah groups. The first page of the book states the following: “Available in Canada for $2.00 {postage extra}. DAWAH CENTRE: Tel: #(416) 536-84433, Fax: # (416) 536-0417. e-mail: [email protected].”
- Fortress of the Muslim, invocations from the Quran & Sunnah (Arabic, English & transliteration), reviewed by Sheikh Imam Ahmed Shahab, www.collectfreequran.com, pp. 43-45 – انصرنا على القوم الكافرين“Give us victory over the disbelieving people”. The book has been distributed for free by Canadian Dawah groups, including Walk-In Islamic infoCenter and the Muslim Students Association at York University.
- Muslim Prayer Handbook, compiled by Muhammad Obaidullah, Islamic Communication Trust, Karachi, Pakistan, p. 4 – انصرنا على القوم الكافرين“Give us victory over the disbelieving people”. The book has been distributed for free by Canadian Dawah groups. The first page of the book states the following: “Available in Canada for $2.00 {postage extra}. DAWAH CENTRE: Tel: #(416) 536-84433, Fax: # (416) 536-0417. e-mail: [email protected].”.”
- The Quran: English Meanings and Notes, Saheeh International, Al-Muntadsa Al-Islami Trust, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2012, pp. 37, 44, 61 – انصرنا على القوم الكافرين“Give us victory over the disbelieving people”. The book has been distributed for free by Canadian Dawah groups, including Walk-In Islamic infoCenter, Street Dawah Toronto, Street Dawah near St. Lawrence Market in downtown Toronto, the Muslim Students Association at York University and Canadian Muslim Students Associations.
- Syllabus for the Month of April for MGAs and Workers issued by ICNA Canada (Islamic Circle of North America-Canada) headed by Dr. Iqbal al-Nasvi, the Charman of the Canadian Council of Imams – انصرنا على القوم الكافرين“Give us victory over the disbelieving people”.
- Race To Jannah-5, Group B: Grade 1 to 3, Quran & Tafsir: Surah Al-Baqarah (285-286), http://www.bdhalaqa.ca/ ((Islamic organization in Edmonton, Alberta that teaches the Quran), p. 3, 4 – انصرنا على القوم الكافرين“Give us victory over the disbelieving people”.
- The Markaz Oasis, Markaz-Ul-Islam (Islamic Centre in Edmonton, Alberta), Issue: Spring 2012, p. 8 – انصرنا على القوم الكافرين“Give us victory over the disbelieving people”.
- Dua Qunoot [Supplication], Complete Qunoot in Arabic, English, translation and transliteration, Mashary Rashod, p. 6 – انصرنا على القوم الكافرين“Give us victory over the disbelieving people”.
- A selection of Supplications From Al-Qur’an and Authentic Hadith, ISLAMIC KNOWLEDGE TEAM, p. 3 انصرنا على القوم الكافرين“Give us victory over those who deny the truth”.
- Daily Dua [supplication] – Authentic Adhkar prescribed by the Messenger of Allah, Ummah Welfare Trust, 2016, pp. 45-46 – انصرنا على القوم الكافرين“Give us victory over the disbelieving people”.
- Dua [supplication] of the Prophet, http://www.islamsbudskap.com, p. 20-21 – انصرنا على من عادانا “Give us victory over our enemies”.
- Dua [supplication]-The Weapon of the Believer, Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi, Al-Hidaayah Publishing and Distribution (2001), p. 52 – انصرنا على القوم الكافرين “Make us victorious over the disbelieving people.”
- What to Do When a Muslim Dies, The Islamic Bulletin, pp. 36-37 – انصرنا على القوم الكافرين“Give us victory over the disbelieving people”.
- FORTY RABBANA, Collection of Short Qur’anic Du`a, FISABILILLAH PUBLICATIONS, pp.6-7, 11-12. انصرنا على القوم الكافرين“Give us victory over the disbelieving people”.
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #8
“[I]t
[video}was also mistranslated. For example, what Elkasrawy said was not to “purify Al-Aqsa Mosque form the filth of the Jews,” but rather to “cleanse Al- Aqsa Mosque from the Jews’ desecration of it.”The Facts
In his article “Why Canadian Imams Recite Prayers against the “Filth of the Jews” published on November 26, 2018, Jonathan Halevi detailed the Islamic sources that confirmed his translation “purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews.” Here are excerpts from Halevi’s article:
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) revoked in August 2018 the charitable status of Ottawa Islamic Centre and Assalam Mosque explaining that “many of the views expressed by the organization’s speakers are misogynistic, homophobic, racist and/or promote violence.”
Abdullah Hakim Quick, Vice-President of the Canadian Council of Imams, is mentioned in CRA’s report as one of these speakers among other things because of a supplication he recited a few years ago in which he said (originally in English):
“May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, the Most High, the Most Exalted, clean and purify Masjid [mosque]
Al-Aqsa from the filth of the yahud [Jews]. May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, the Most High, the Most Exalted, clean Afghanistan and Iraq and all of the lands from the filth of the Kafirun [disbelieveres or infidels].”
On June 15, 2016 Ayman Elkasrawy, an imam at Masjid Toronto, recited the following supplication (originally in Arabic):
“O Allah! Give victory to Islam and raise the standing of the Muslims. [congregation:] Ameen.
And humiliate the polytheism and polytheists. [congregation:] Ameen. O Allah! Give victory (help) to your slaves who believe in the oneness of Allah. [congregation:] Ameen. O Allah! Give them victory over the criminal people. O Allah! Destroy anyone who killed/ fought against Muslims. [congregation:] Ameen. O Allah! Destroy anyone who displaced the sons of the Muslims. [congregation:] Ameen. O Allah! Count their number; [congregation:] Ameen, slay them one by one, [congregation:] Ameen, and spare not one of them.[congregation:] Ameen. O Allah! Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth [دنس] of the Jews! [congregation:] Ameen. O Allah! Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth [دنس] of the Jews! [congregation:] Ameen.”
Another imam in western Canada invoked Allah to help purifying al-Aqsa Mosque from the “filth” of “those”, meaning the Jews (originally in Arabic):
“O Allah, we ask you to give victory to Islam and to raise the standing of the Muslims, give victory (help) to our oppressed brothers in Palestine, give victory (help) to our oppressed brothers in [the City of] Al-Quds. O Allah, we ask you to purify and cleanse Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth [دنس] of those [Jews].”
On September 13, 2015 Mostafa Saad Hannout, an imam at Masjid Toronto, shared on his Facebook page a post by the Saudi Shaykh Dr. Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni that read (originally in Arabic):
“O Allah, prurify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth [رجس] of the Jews and Grant us the opportunity to pray in it before our death.” (اللهم طهر #المسجد_الأقصى من رجس يهود، وارزقنا فيه صلاة قبل الموت)
The “impurity” of non-Muslims is mentioned in the Quran. Verse 28 of chapter 9 (Surah At-Tawbah, The Repentance) reads (Saheeh International): “O you who have believed, indeed the polytheists are unclean, so let them not approach al-Masjid al-Haram after this, their [final] year. And if you fear privation, Allah will enrich you from His bounty if He wills. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Wise.”
In a sermon delivered on May 25,2012 at Islamic Foundation of Toronto Yusuf Badat, the main Imam and ‘Director of Religious Affairs’ at the Islamic Foundation of Toronto, explained why Islam attributes “impurity” to non-Muslims. According to Badat, non-Muslims are internally filthy, meaning their filth is spiritual because they don’t follow the teachings of Islam. In this context Badat said:
[Title: Friday Sermon “Dawah (Islamic Propagation) in Contemporary Times”]
“I was mentioning about ‘doors open Toronto’ and every year I get this question where people say: why are non-Muslims in the Masjid [mosque]? You know they’re filthy. Why are they here? They are not even dressed properly. Why are they coming in the masjid [mosque]? They might be in their menstrual cycles. You get all kinds of questions like this, you know, ignorance, it is important that we ask when we don’t know. So it’s a good sign. You want to learn. So I felt it is important to clarify certain matters here. There are two issues. Number one is are disbelievers allowed to enter the masjid [mosque]? and number two if they are allowed then what are the conditions? So in terms of entering the masjid [mosque] the Olama [علماء], the scholars of Islam, they agree that it is permissible for disbelievers to enter the masjid [mosque], but with three conditions. Number one is that there should be a purposeful benefit for them entering the masjid [mosque]. To enter the masjid [mosque] there should be a purposeful benefit, that why are they entering? to see, to learn, we can give dawah [propagation to Islam]. You have many times something that goes wrong, maintenance, and there is no Muslim that can take care of that. So who do we call? A non-Muslim to repair something. Someone recently sent me photos of the haram [Great Mosque of Mecca] and the expansion in Mecca, and how it’s going to be extended etc. and they’ve contracted some of some parts of the construction and the expansion of the haram [Great Mosque of Mecca] in Mecca to non-Muslims from different countries, and they enter there for a purposeful benefit. So if a non-Muslim is entering with a purposeful benefit then it’s permitted. Condition number one. Condition number two is that they should be externally clean. Their clothes should be externally clean. So they’re wearing nice clean clothes that’s fine. We don’t, we don’t bother about what is internal. We’re not concern, and this is what the Olama [scholars of Islam] say in [the book] “Ila Al-Sunan” [إعلاء السنن] in the books of “fiqh” [فقه jurisprudence], it’s mentioned that the verse where Allah, Exalted and Glorified be He, says that the “mushrikun” [مشركون polytheists] are impure it doesn’t refer to the external impurity. It’s referring to the “aqidah” [عقيدة faith] and the belief that they have, that may be corrupt. So people generally quote the verse of Surah [chapter of the Quran] Al-Tawbah [Repentence] where Allah, Exalted and Glorified be He, says لا يدخلون المسجد الحرم [إِنَّمَا الْمُشْرِكُونَ نَجَسٌ فَلا يَقْرَبُوا الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ ] they should not enter the masjid [mosque]. So this is referring to their internal filth not their external filth, their internal impurity, not their external impurity. So this is condition number two. And condition number three is that they should respect the sacredness of the masjid [mosque]. They should respect the sacredness of the masjid [mosque].”
Similar views were voiced in 2013 by Yasir Qadhi, the Dean of Academic Affairs at AlMaghrib Institute in Houston, Texas (originally in English):
“This is the precise definition of shirk [polytheism] to make a partner along with Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He [GEBH]. And we realize that obviously shirk [polytheism] that is the opposite of tawhid [monotheism] must by necessity and by definition be the the most evil of all evils as Jews and Christians are mushrikoon [polytheists] in our perspective of tawhid [monotheism] as we have studied can understand how, and only the Muslims are upon tawhid [monotheism]. And it is also the ame reason, or the same principle of tawhid [monotheism] which is the first obligation upon every single human being, that he bears witness and he testifies that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah GEBH. And it is because of this same principle of tawhid [monotheism] that the Prophet, peace be upon him, has been commanded to do jihad. Jihad is a means and not a goal of itself. It is a means to establish tawhid [monotheism] on the land. أمرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى يشهدوا أن لا إله إلا الله I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify لا إله إلا الله there is no God but Allah. So the whole reason why Allah GEBH has created us sent the prophets and revealed the books and differentiated us based upon this principle and allowed for jihad, is the basis and is the principle of tawhid [monotheism]. The life and property of a mushrik [polytheist, also identified as Christian] holds no value in the state of jihad. Make no respect. Notice that I said in the state of jihad, not at all times and places. The life and property of a mushrik becomes ‘halal’ [permissible] while in a state of jihad. The prophet, peace be upon him, said, and I quote the hadith before, ‘I have been commanded to fight the people until they say: ‘There is no god but Allah’ [Islamic creed declaring belief in the tawhid [monotheism], and when they say ‘There is no god but Allah’ [meaning accepting Islam], he went on, when they say ‘There is no god but Allah’ [meaning accepting Islam], their life and property become protected for me. Which means if they don’t say ‘There is no god but Allah’ [meaning accepting Islam] their life and property are halal [permissible] for the Muslims. So the Christians do commit shirk [polytheism], they are ‘kuffar’ [disbelievers] and they are mushrikoon [polytheists]. The mushrikoon [polytheists] are najis [impure, filth], they are filthy. Najasa [impurity, filth]. They are filthy, a spiritual filthiness which can only be purified by the purity of monotheism [tawhid]. Allah calls the mushrikoon [polytheists] najis [filthy] which is a very evil thing. When Allah Himself says the mushrikoon [polytheists] are najis [impure, filth], Allah is calling them najis [impure, filth], they are najasa [impurity], a filthy, impure, dirty substance.”
Canadian Imam Kamil Ahmad, who serves as an Assistant Professor at the Islamic Online University, cited in this context a statement the Salafi theologian from the 14th century Ibn Taymiyyah: “The Jews exaggerate in the purification of their bodies while their hearts remain filthy, and the Christians claim that they purify their hearts while their bodies remain impure; whereas the Muslims purify both their bodies and their hearts.[Al-Jawāb al-Ṣaḥīḥ li-man Baddala Dīn al-Masīḥ 3/102]”
Ustadh Faraz A. Khan from SeekersHub, an educational portal in Toronto (“The Al-Azhar of our time”), explained as follows verse 28 of chapter 9 of the Quran:
“Most Qur’anic exegetes [mufassirun] interpreted the first statement as metaphorical, that is, polytheists are not literally filth, but their creed of associating partners with Allah Most High is so base and vile in the sight of Allah that it is akin to filth itself, so much so that it is as if those who adhere to such beliefs are themselves filth.”
The Reign of Islamic Daʿwah Centre in Toronto quoted a statement from the interpretation of the Quran by Saudi Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan: “the filth of shirk, the filthy nature of shirk. Because it is an insult to Allaah the Most High.”
On December 15, 2016 Ayman Elkasrawy, an Imam at Masjid Toronto mosque, shared شبكة رصد’s video accompanied with the following caption (originally in Arabic): “Graphic pictures! of the Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo before and after it was destroyed by Assad forces and Russia.” In this context Elkasrawy posted the following comment (originally in Arabic): “The impure [anjas] rejectionists [“rawafid” – derogatory manner by Sunni Muslims to describe the Shiite Muslims].”
The attribution of “filth” (دنس ו-وسخ) to the polytheists and disbelievers/ infidels, including Jews and Christians, appears also in the writings of the great commentators of the Qur’an, al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir.
Tafsir al-Tabari:
- Surah Al-Maaidah (5), verse 41: “هؤلاء الذين لم يرد الله أن يطهِّر من دنس الكفر ووَسخ الشرك قُلوبَهم، بطهارة الإسلام ونظافة الإيمان” (“to purify from the filth of heresy and squalor of polytheism”)
- Surah Fatir (35), verse: 18: “وقوله (وَمَنْ تَزَكَّى فإِنَّمَا يَتَزكَّى لِنَفْسِهِ) يقول تعالى ذكره: ومن يتطهر من دنس الكفر والذنوب بالتوبة إلى الله، والإيمان به، والعمل بطاعته. ”(“whoever will be purified from the filth of polytheism”)
- Surah Al-Jumu’ah (62), verse 2: “… وقوله: ( يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ ) يقول جلّ ثناؤه: يقرأ على هؤلاء الأميين آيات الله التي أنـزلها عليه ( وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ ) يقول: ويطهرهم من دنس الكفر.”(“will purify them from the filth of heresy”)
- Surah An-Nazi’at (79), verse 18: “وقوله: ( فَقُلْ هَلْ لَكَ إِلَى أَنْ تَزَكَّى ) يقول: فقل له: هل لك إلى أن تتطهَّر من دنس الكفر، وتؤمِن بربك؟”(“will be purify them from the filth of heresy”)
Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Surah At-Tawbah (9), verse 18 : “(The Masjids of Allah shall be maintained only by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day; perform the Salah, and give the Zakah and fear none but Allah). Therefore, if those believers who follow the virtues mentioned in the Ayah were prevented from attending the Masjid, then what cause for destruction is worse than this Maintaining the Masjids not only means beautifying them, but it involves remembering Allah, establishing His Shari`ah in the Masjids and purifying them from the filth of Shirk.”
Tafsir Ibn Kathir Juz’ 1 (Part 1): Al-Fatihah 1 to Al-Baqarah 141 2nd Edition, p. Cclxxvii: “(The Masjids of Allah shall be maintained only by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day; perform the Salah, and give the Zakah and fear none but Allah). Therefore, if those believers who follow the virtues mentioned in the Ayah were prevented from attending the Masjid, then what cause for destruction is worse than this Maintaining the Masjids not only means beautifying them, but it involves remembering Allah, establishing His Shari’ah in the Masjids and purifying them from the filth of Shirk.”
| < # >“Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews” | ||
| English text | Arabic text | |
| Hizb ut-Tahrir | liberate Jerusalem from the filth of the Jews and their evils. (link) | وتحرر القدس من دنس يهود وشرورهم (link) |
| Ata Abu al-Rashta (HT, Ameer) | the liberation of Jerusalem by Salah Ad-Din from the Crusaders, and since he established the first Friday after the purification of Jerusalem from the filth of the Crusaders (link) | منذ أن حرر صلاح الدين بيت_المقدس من الصليبيين وأقام الجمعة الأولى بعد تطهير القدس من دنس الصليبيين (link) |
| Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades | Al-Qassam Brigades promise you that Muhammad Al-Daif will, God-willing, be the commander in chief of the conquering and liberating army that will enter into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque until we cleanse all of our land of the filth of the remaining occupiers (link) | وكتائب القسام تعدكم ان محمد الضيف سيكون باذن الله تعالى القائد العام للجيش الذي سيدخل باحات المسجد الاقصى فاتحا محررا وحتى نطهر ارصنا كل ارضنا من دنس اخر المحتلين (link) |
| Mohamed Badie – Muslim Brotherhood, Supreme Leader (General Guide) | their sole goal for all of them the recovery of al Aqsa Mosque, freeing it from the filth of the Zionists… We are also commanded to rescue the holy sites of Christianity and even Judaism from the filth of those Zionists (link) | وهدفهم الأوحد جميعًا استرداد المسجد الأقصى، وتخليصه من دنس الصهاينة… كما أمرنا باستنقاذ المقدسات المسيحية بل واليهودية من دنس هؤلاء الصهاينة (link) |
| Al-Qaeda’s statement (translated by Reuters) | To purify all Islamic land from the filth of the Jews and Americans, including Jerusalem and Kashmir (link) | تطهير جميع الراضي السلمية من دنس اليهود والمريكان والهندوس بما فيها القدس وكشمير (link) |
| ISIS – The Islamic State (translated by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi) | And after God Almighty granted conquest for His mujahideen servants in Wilayat Ninawa and other wilayats of the Islamic State, and they cleansed them of the filth of the Safavids and secularists (link) | وبعد ان فتح الله تعالى لعباده المجاهدين في ولاية نينوي وغيرها من ولايات الدولة الاسلامية وطهورها من دنس الصفويين والعلمانيين
(link) |
| The Accepted Dua, complied and translated by Abu Umar Abdulazeez | O Allah, cleanse my heart with the water of snow and hail, and cleanse my heart from all sins as a white garment is cleansed from filth (link) | اللهم اغسل قلبي بماء الثلج والبرد ونق قلبي من الخطايا كما نقيت الثوب الأبيض من الدنس (link) |
| Hizb ut-Tahrir’s translation of the words ‘danas’ and ‘rijs’ | ||
| Date | English text | Arabic text |
| July 2017 | “… since the liberation of Al-Quds by Salahudin from the Crusaders, when he performed the first Juma’a after the purification of Al-Quds from the filth of the Crusaders” (link) | منذ أن حرر صلاح الدين بيت المقدس من الصليبيين وأقام الجمعة الأولى بعد تطهير القدس من دنس الصليبيين (link) |
| January 2015 | “Therefore it is the duty of Muslims to mobilize their armies towards Palestine and liberate it completely from the filth of the Jews… It awaits the conquerors who will chant Takbeers and sacrifice their blood to liberate it from the filth of the Jews” (link) | وعليه فإن الواجب على المسلمين أن يحركوا جيوشهم تجاه فلسطين فيحرروها كاملة من رجس يهود… وتنتظر الفاتحين المكبرين الباذلين الدماء لتحريرها من رجس يهود (link) |
| June 2014 | “Sinai of Glory, where the war of dignity and glory took place on its soil, the Ummah were very close to liberating Al-Aqsa and the Blessed Land (Palestine) from the filth of the Jews if it wasn’t for the betrayal of some who sold their Deen from the leaders and elites!”(link) | سيناء أرض العزة والكرامة، حيث أكرمها الله بذكرها في القرآن العظيم في موضع جليل مهيب، فذُكرت الشجرة التي تنبت من هناك: ﴿شَجَرَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ طُورِ سَيْنَاءَ تَنْبُتُ بِالدُّهْنِ وَصِبْغٍ لِلْآكِلِينَ﴾… وسيناء العز حيث دارت على أرضها حربُ عزٍ وكرامة، كادت الأمة أن تحرر بها الأقصى والأرض المباركة (فلسطين) من رجس يهود، لولا خيانة بعض من باعوا دينهم من القادة والسادة! (link) |
| December 2014 | “… to discourage them from crowning their blessed revolution with the state that will annihilate the tyrants and oppressors and liberate Jerusalem from the filth of the Jews and their evils.” (link) | وثنيهم عن تتويج ثورتهم المباركة بدولةٍ تنسف الطغاة والجبابرة وتحرر القدس من دنس يهود وشرورهم. (link) |
| October 2014 | “O Armies stationed in the barracks… Is it not time for you to rise and shake off the dust of humiliation off your Ummah… Is it not time for your large army chanting the Takbeer to liberate Al-Aqsa from the filth of the Jews.” (link) | أيتها الجيوش الرابضة في ثكناتها… أما آن لكم أن تنفضوا غبار الذل عن أمتكم… أما آن لجحافلكم المكبرة أن تحرر الأقصى من رجس يهود. (link) |
| June 2014 | “It reminded the Ummah in general, and her armies in particular, of their duty to liberate Masjid ul-Aqsa and all of Palestine from the filth of the Jewish occupation.” (link) | ذكّرت الأمة بشكل عام، وجيوش المسلمين بشكل خاص، بواجبهم في تحرير المسجد الأقصى وكل فلسطين من دنس الاحتلال اليهودي. (link) |
| January 2015 | “Only the Pakistani army officers, the Egyptian army officers and the Turkish army officers and other soldiers of Islam are the ones capable of defending Islam, Protecting the honor of religion, preserving the holy sites, and liberating Al-Aqsa Mosque and ridding it from the filth of the Jews.” (link) | ضباط الجيش الباكستاني وضباط الجيش المصري وجنرالات الجيش التركي وغيرهم من جند الإسلام، هم القادرون على نصرة الإسلام والذود عن حياض الدين والمحافظة على المقدسات وتحرير المسجد الأقصى وتخليصه من رجس يهود. (link) |
| October 2016 | “Did the ‘departure’ actually take place within the Muslim lands? So what has happened with the blessed land of Palestine; has it been purified by our armies from the filth of the usurping Jews?” (link) | هل تمّ الجلاء فعلا من بلاد المسلمين؟ فأين الأرض المباركة فلسطين، هل طّهرتها جيوشنا من رجس يهود الغاصبين؟ (link) |
| December 2017 | “The Blessed Land (Palestine) is not only an Islamic land, but the heart of the Muslim Islamic Ummah, and to remind the Muslim Ummah in general and the people of power and capacity (the Muslim armies) specifically, imposing the establishment of the Khilafah Rashidah State (rightly guided Caliphate) who have its obligation upon their necks to mobilize their formidable armies to liberate the Islamic sanctities from the filth of the Jewish entity, making it a thing of the past.” (link) | فالأرض المباركة (فلسطين) هي أرض إسلامية بل قلب الأمة الإسلامية النابض، ولتذكير الأمة الإسلامية عامة وأهل القوة والمنعة فيها (جيوش المسلمين) خاصة، بفرض إقامة دولة الخلافة الراشدة الملقى على عاتقهم التي تحرك الجيوش الجرارة لتحرير المقدسات الإسلامية من رجس كيان يهود وجعله أثرا بعد عين. (link) |
| August 2012 | “When reading Rezaei’s statement one would think the Kafir heretic Ba’athist regime had put forth an unprecedented action in the implementation of Allah’s legislation and upholding jihad, and liberating Al-Aqsa Ashareef from the filth of the Jews…” (link) | من يقرأ تصريحه يتبادر إلى ذهنه وكأن النظام البعثي الكافر الملحد قد أتى بما لم تأت به الأوائل من تطبيق لشرع الله وإعلاء الجهاد وتحرير الأقصى الشريف من دنس يهود (link) |
| “However – we eventually believe that Allah (swt) will make His Deen victorious, and will grant His righteous servants power and will establish them in the earth very soon by His will and power, as Khulafa’ and righteous leaders, so that they purify all the lands of the Muslims from the filth of the colonial Kuffar, and return everything to their right places, and that is not a great matter for Allah (swt).” (link) | لكنَّنا – في الخِتامِ – مُؤمِنُونَ بأنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ناصِرٌ دِيْنَهُ، ومُظهِرٌ عِبادَهُ الصَّالِحينَ، وَمُمَكِّنٌ لهُم في الأرضِ قرِيباً عاجِلاً بِحَولِهِ وقُوَّتِهِ خُلَفَاءَ وحُكَّاماً صالِحِينَ، ليُطَهِّروا كُلَّ بلادِ المُسلمينَ من رِجسِ الكافِرين المُستَعمِرين، ويَرُدُّوا الأمُورَ إلى نِصَابِهَا، وما ذلكَ على اللهِ بعَزِيز. (link) | |
| May 2011 | “So how would it be if there was a march from an army preceding these people, purifying for them the Earth from the filth of the oppressing Jews…” (link) | فكيف لو كان هناك زحفُ جيشٍ يتقدم هؤلاء الزاحفين، يُنظِّف لهم الأرضَ من رجسِ يهود (link) |
| August 2013 | “And in order for the joy to be complete, Masjid al-Aqsa and Palestine must be liberated from the filth of the Jews, and Jerusalem purified from their filth.” (link) | وحتى تكتمل الفرحة فلا بد من تحرير المسجد الأقصى وفلسطين من دنس يهود، وتطهير بيت المقدس من رجسهم. (link) |
| July 2014 | “So reject the sinful Camp David Accord, and establish the Shariah of Allah by establishing the rightly guided Khilafah “Caliphate” state, which will uproot the Jewish entity from the Blessed Land by the hands of its sincere soldiers in the army of Egypt the Kinanah, who are yearning for Jihad in the way of Allah (swt) and for liberating Masjid Al-Aqsa from the filth of the Jews.” (link) | فدوسوا على اتفاقية كامب ديفيد الآثمة، وأقيموا شرع الله بإقامة دولة الخلافة الراشدة لتقتلع كيان يهود من الأرض المباركة بسواعد جندها المخلصين في جيش مصر الكنانة الذين يتشوقون للجهاد في سبيل الله وتحرير المسجد الأقصى من رجس يهود. (link) |
| July 2013 | “ and then he will lead us to liberate
Palestine, all of Palestine, from the filth of Jewish state to restore al-Quds, the land of Isra’ and Mi’raj of the Messenger of Allah (saw), will return honored and dignified by Islam, and by the army of Islam” (link) |
ومن ثم يقودنا لتحرير فلسطين كل فلسطين من رجس دولة يهود، فتعود القدس مسرى رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – ومعراجه عزيزة كريمة بالإسلام، وبجند الإسلام (link) |
| February 2014 | “Our address is to the armies in the Muslim world in general and the Egyptian army in particular, who hosts the best soldiers on earth, and to the armies of Jordan, Pakistan and Turkey. We tell them, that the liberation of the blessed land from the filth of Jews is in your capacity…” (link) | وهذا خطابنا إلى الجيوش في العالم الإسلامي عامة وجيش مصر خاصة الذي فيه خير أجناد الأرض، وإلى جيوش الأردن وباكستان وتركيا ونقول لهم، إن تحرير الأرض المباركة من رجس يهود هو بمقدوركم (link) |
| July 2013 | “That the Khaleefah will have eradicated the tyrants in the land of al-Sham, and rescued its Muslims, the elderly, women and children, from the filth of the tyrants and oppressors… and then he will lead us to liberate Palestine, all of Palestine, from the filth of Jewish state to restore al-Quds, the land of Isra’ and Mi’raj of the Messenger of Allah (saw), will return honored and dignified by Islam, and by the army of Islam…” (link) | ويكون الخليفة قد قضى على الطغاة في أرض الشام، وأنقذ المسلمين فيها، الشيوخ والنساء والأطفال، من دنس الطغاة والظالمين… ومن ثم يقودنا لتحرير فلسطين كل فلسطين من رجس دولة يهود، فتعود القدس مسرى رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – ومعراجه عزيزة كريمة بالإسلام، وبجند الإسلام (link) |
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #9
“In another example of what linguistic specialists referred to as “propaganda translation,” experts clarified that Elkasrawy’s alleged call to “slay them one by one” was not a reference to Jews or Al-Aqsa Mosque but was taken from another part of his supplication made on behalf of suffering in the Muslim world.”
The Facts
The translation shared by Jonathan Halevi was not a “propaganda translation” but the exact translation by a reputable Islamic organization.
Halevi copied the translation of the sentence “O Allah! Count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them” from the English translation of the Hadith by sunnah.com, part of a more extensive network including quran.com that provides translation of the Islamic holy scriptures.
Zine alluded that Halevi, in his article, referred to Jews or Al-Aqsa Mosque in the above sentence of the prayer.
However, Halevi has never made any such reference.
Here are excerpts from the translation of Elkasrawy’s prayers published by Halevi:
[…]
O Allah! Destroy the criminals
O Allah! Destroy anyone who inflicts injustice on your slaves, O the Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them.
O Allah! Do not defer [it] on them
O Allah! Seize them with the seizure of One Mighty, Omnipotent [referring to a Quranic verse that deals with the punishment Allah inflicted on Pharaoh and his people]
[…]
O Allah! Give them victory over the criminal people
O Allah! Destroy anyone who killed Muslims
O Allah! Destroy anyone who displaced the sons of the Muslims
O Allah! Count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them
O Allah! Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews!
O Allah! Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews!
In the paragraph preceding the prayers, Halevi wrote:
“In 2016, imams (religious leaders who lead the prayers) at the mosque recited supplications to Allah in support of the “mujahideen (those of engage in jihad) everywhere”, the total destruction of the enemies of Islam and the purification of Al-Aqsa Mosque from the “filth of the Jews.” The following are excerpts from these supplications (originally in Arabic):”
Halevi related the sentence “O Allah! Count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them” to “the enemies of Islam” consistently with the explicit context of the prayer.
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #10
“To determine the veracity of his statements, the Toronto Star contacted several international Arabic-language experts to have them view the tapes. Their scholarly review determined that not only had the video been digitally manipulated (segments from different parts of his supplication were spliced together), it was also mistranslated.”
The Facts
In my article “What didn’t Toronto Star tell readers about its “independent” expert?” published on July 31, 2018, I exposed Toronto Star’s misleading approach to the “international Arabic-language experts” who were asked to opine on this matter.
According to the British expert, the Toronto Star sent the him ONLY one line (“purify al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews”) of the two prayers in question that were recited by Ayman Elkasrawy. The Toronto Star DID NOT send the expert the prayers (text or video). Furthermore, the Toronto Star provided the expert with BACKGROUND INFORMATION about the imam: that the Imam “never meant to cause offence to Jews”.
It was also discovered that another so-called “independent” expert has been serving as an imam and spiritual guide and mentor at Masjid Toronto mosque, where Elkasrawy recited his prayers. He and the other experts never responded to media inquiries nor contested Halevi’s translation after presenting a wealth of Islamic sources with the exact translation.
Here are excerpts from my article:
On October 22, 2017, the Toronto Star dedicated four pages, including its front page, in an attempt to exonerate Ayman Elkasrawy, an imam at “Masjid Toronto” mosque, from anti-Jewish and anti-infidel prayers during Ramadan 2016. It is filled with errors in fact and the gross omission of facts.
The article was penned by Jennifer Yang and approved by Kathy English, the Star’s public editor.
I have sent several media inquiries to the Publisher, John Bolton; Bob Hepburn media inquiries; Kathy English and Jennifer Yang. None responded.
In a previous article, I presented Toronto Star’s dubious statement about one of the five experts who allegedly analyzed Ayman Elkasrawy’s prayers and their translation and didn’t know Elkasrawy.
According to this expert:
- Toronto Star sent the expert ONLY one line (“purify al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews”) of the two prayers in question that were recited by Ayman Elkasrawy;
- Toronto Star DID NOT send the expert the prayers (text or video).
- Toronto Star provided the expert with BACKGROUND INFORMATION about the imam: that the Imam “never meant to cause offence to Jews”.
To read more on this see my article “Was Toronto Star’s front page exposé defamatory fake news?” (click HERE).
Through my investigation I’ve came across more information that once again puts the credibility of theToronto Star in question.
Jennifer Yang stated that all five experts didn’t know Ayman Elkasrawy who served as an imam at Masjid Toronto mosque that was established and is owned by the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC). One of the so called “independent” experts, Mohammad Aboghodda was presented by Yang as only “a lecturer with the Understanding Islam Academy.”
A quick online search found that Mohammad Aboghodda has an affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology and strong ties to the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC), and to the Masjid Toronto mosque, where he served as an imam alongside imam Ayman Elkasrawy.
The following are excerpts from the Toronto Star’s article:
“Mohammad Aboghodda, a lecturer with the Understanding Islam Academy, an educational charity in Mississauga. Aboghodda was one of the Arabic translators consulted by the Star.”
“The experts — from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom — are Arabic translators, linguists and university professors with published book chapters, academic papers and textbooks. None of them knows Elkasrawy.”
Toronto Star was adamant in its statement that Mohammad Aboghodda like the other four experts did not know Ayman Elkasrawy.
I reached out, again, to The Toronto Star and asked about Mohammad Aboghodda. And once again The Toronto Star responded with resounding silence.
Here is my media inquiry.
From my investigation I’ve learned that:
Mr. Mohammad Aboghodda does not work at Understanding Islam Academy. This is the message I received from Understanding Islam Academy in response to a media inquiry.
Mohammad Aboghodda has been serving as an imam and religious guide and mentor at Masjid Toronto mosque including during the years 2015-2018 while Ayman Elkasrawy also served as an imam at the mosque.
Mohammad Aboghodda is publicly affiliated with the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) that established and owns Masjid Toronto mosque.
The Muslim Association of Canada states that “it strives to practice Islam as embodied in the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and as understood in its contemporary, comprehensive, and balanced context by the late Imam Hassan Albanna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda, Mohammad Aboghodda’s father, was the third Supreme Guide of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood.
Questions:
Why didn’t the Toronto Star disclose the fact that Mohammad Aboghodda has been serving as an imam at Masjid Toronto mosque?
Why didn’t Toronto Star disclose the fact that Mohammad Aboghodda is strongly affiliated with the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) that established and owns Masjid Toronto mosque?
Why didn’t Toronto Star disclose the fact that Mohammad Aboghodda is linked to the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood through his father and MAC?
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #11
“In a comment to the Toronto Sun, Tarek Fatah (see chapter 7) shared another mistranslated video with the discredited Imam, Mohammad Tawhidi (see chapter 7), who claimed that Elkasrawy’s prayer in this video said, “Whoever wants bad to happen to Muslims return his plots to his neck and flip the plot onto him and punish them like you punished Aad and Thamud.” The version that Tawhidi, who is not an expert in Arabic linguistics, put forward is also inconsistent with the translations offered by the scholars. Throughout this controversy, competing translations were leveraged to support the initial narrative against Elkasrawy, which reinforced the idea that Muslims as a population are antisemitic.”
The Facts
In this paragraph you provided the following link to the Toronto Sun’s article: https://archive.is/wRdTd.
Both the archived (linked in your book) and the original Toronto Sun’s article (http://torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-imam-accused-of-spewing-hate-at-a-toronto-mosque-again) do not contain Elkasrawy’s third prayer.
The article was first published on November 4, 2017, and its first archived version was saved on November 5, 2017. (https://web.archive.org/web/20171105100457/http://torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-imam-accused-of-spewing-hate-at-a-toronto-mosque-again). Also, the earliest version of this article does not contain the video of Elkasrawy’s third prayer (the link leads to a YouTube channel that no longer exists).
It may appear that you made the above allegations without having access to Ekasrawy’s third prayer. Hence, I sent you a media inquiry that read: “To avoid any misunderstanding that may inadvertently suggest that you made the above allegations in your book without having access to the video in question; I’d like to ask you the following questions: Have you ever had access to the video featuring Elkasrawy’s third prayer mentioned in your book? Have you ever watched/heard Elkasrawy’s third prayer?”
You chose not to respond to these elementary questions.
You also stated that Tawhidi’s translation “is also inconsistent with the translations offered by the scholars.” However, you did not cite your allegation or mention the name of “the scholars.”
Likewise, you failed to establish how Tawhidi’s translation contradicts in any way, shape, or form the fact that in Elkasrawy’s third prayer, he asked Allah to punish the enemies of Islam with the same punishment He inflicted on the two tribes, Aad and Thamud that Allah competently annihilated.
Furthermore, you ignored the following two paragraphs from the Toronto Sun article:
“This video shows the imam chanting: “O Allah, whoever wishes ill for us and wishes ill for Islam and the Muslims, make his plot tied around his neck. O Allah, turn fate against them and annihilate them as you annihilated the peoples of Aad and Thamud.”
“Defending his translation, former Israeli intelligence officer Jonathan Halevi says he “uses Islamic information sources” to backup his own knowledge of Arabic and explained the prayer can be translated as either “annihilated” or destroyed.”
Ms. Zine, have you ever contested Halevi’s translation of Elkasrawy’s third prayer, in which he asks Allah to wipe out Islam’s enemies by inflicting destruction on them, meaning genocide, which is consistent with Elkasrawy’s other two prayers, as shared by Halevi?
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #12
“Elkasrawy was blindsided by the accusations and publicly apologized for any offence caused to the Jewish community, which he stated was not his intent.”
The Facts
The link provided above by Jasmin Zine (https://archive.is/AcPK7) leads to an article Ayman Elkasrawy published in the Toronto Star on October 30, 2017, more than eight months after the CIJ News article was published.
On February 20, 2017, two days after CIJ News article was published, Ayman Elkasrawy tweeted:
“Neither I, Masjid Toronto or the congregation harbour any form of hate towards Jews. And so I wish to apologize unreservedly for misspeaking during prayer last Ramadan. I firmly believe that all human beings: Muslims, Jews, Christians and people of all and no faith deserve to live a life free of any threat to their safety. In my supplication my intention was to refer to a very specific political situation that is the result of military occupation.”
In real-time, Elkasrawy did not contest the accuracy of Halevi’s translation, which was based on and taken from reliable Islamic sources, but said: “I wish to apologize unreservedly for misspeaking during prayer last Ramadan” and “I wish to apologize unreservedly for misspeaking during prayer last Ramadan.”
Jasmin Zine wrote that Elkasrawy apologized and stated it was not his “intent” to cause “any offence” to the Jewish community.
In a series of investigative articles in 2018, I exclusively published Elkasrawy’s deleted Facebook posts and his third prayer at Masjid Toronto, which may help shed light on his authentic intent.
#FakeNews Toronto Star-where were Elkasrawy’s anti-Jewish/ Israel posts?
Why am I writing so many articles about #FakeNews at the Toronto Star and focusing on one article? Because the complaints sent to the publisher, public editor, and reporter about facts and the gross omission of facts were ignored. And this, for me, is at the heart of unethical journalism-the omission of facts; especially after those facts were provided.
Jennifer Yang, the reporter, contacted Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Halevi on July 25, 2017. He responded on July 25, 2017 to her inquiry: “Ayman Elkasrawy’s posts on social media may help you a great deal in your research.”
Why did the Toronto Star ignore Ayman Elkasrawy’s negative comments about Jews, Israel, Zionists and the Zionist lobby? Why didn’t the Toronto Star investigate Elkasrawy’s rush to “delete” his Facebook account as a suspicious behaviour? Is the Toronto Star hiding something?
I contacted John Boytnon,Publisher, Bob Hepburn, Media Inquiries, Kathy English, public editor and Jennifer Yang, reporter many, many, many times. No answer. No explanation. Nothing.
On October 22, 2017, the Toronto Star dedicated four pages, including its front page, in an attempt to exonerate Ayman Elkasrawy, an imam at “Masjid Toronto” mosque, from anti-Jewish and anti-infidel prayers during Ramadan 2016. It is filled with errors in fact and the gross omission of facts.
Jennifer Yang wrote in her article: “Elkasrawy says he agreed to speak with the Star because “I have nothing to hide.” She emphasized that the “context is key in determining the appropriate translation.”
Yang added: “Elkasrawy says he agreed to speak with the Star because “I have nothing to hide.”
I am enclosing some of Ayman Elkasrawy’s social media posts that directly or indirectly mention or deal with the Jews, Israel, Zionists and the Zionist lobby. You decide.
Does he have something to hide?
On April 2, 2013 Ayman Elkasrawy used the word the “Jew” in an allegedly derogatory context. In this tweet Elkasrawy mocked Egyptian television host Dr. Bassem Youssef by saying, among other things, that “the Jew is defending him.” Elkasrawy did not elaborate the identity of “the Jew”, but from the context it may refer to Israel or to Abdul Fattah Sissi, then the Chief Commander of the Egyptian Armed Forces and Minister of Defense. Within Egyptian Islamist circles Sissi is called in a derogatory context “the son of the Jewish woman”.
January 21, 2017 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared Anti NWO [New World Order] Alliance’s photo featuring American Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama with the caption “NEW BOSS, OLD BOSS” and underneath another photo featuring David Rockefeller [perceived by some conspiracy theorists as Jewish], Jacob Rothschild [Jewish banker] and Guy de Rothschild [Jewish banker] with the caption “SAME OWNERS”. Anti NWO Alliance added: “Thoughts?”. The Anti NWO Alliance Facebook page shares conspiracy theories, including claiming that the 9/11 attack was an inside job. Another meme read: “The Rothschilds still have black slaves [accompanied with a picture of President Barack Obama].”
October 28, 2015 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared a link to a YouTube video entitled “9/11 – Israel’s Advance Knowledge of Attacks”. Elkasrawy “Liked” this video on his YouTube channel. This conspiracy theory video was later removed by YouTube. It is available here.
November 10, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared a video dealing with the US presidential elections. He added the following comment (originally in Arabic): “An important and useful episode… shows the lie of the American democracy (in terms of electing candidates by the people)… and shows the staggering amount of loopholes that explain how the Zionist lobby can control the presidency of America and who comes to it [becomes a President]!!!”
April 17, 2012 – Ayman Elkasrawy tweeted (originally in Arabic): “The election committee announces the names of candidates chosen by the United States and Israel. Farouk Sultan will announce the victory of Amr Moussa over them and will become the President of Egypt !!!”
February 11, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared كلنا خالد سعيد – نسخة كل المصريين’s photo adding the following comment (originally in Arabic): “We have said it a long time ago that the [United Arab] Emirates are the Zionists of the Arabs!!!!”
April 10, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy called Israel a “usurping enemy.” (originally in Arabic)
On May 27, 2015 Ayman Elkasrawy retweeted the following message byمحمد منتصر @montaseregy (originally in Arabic): “This is our religion and these are our scholars. Egypt is calling, we will not go back. Being loyal to the Zionist aggressors, supporting and protecting them and being hostile to the Palestinian resistance/ struggle/ fight [muqawamah] and conspiring against it, and imposing a siege on it by destroying Sinai [Peninsula] and displacing its people, is a betrayal of the religion [Islam] and the homeland [Egypt].”
September 28, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared a YouTube video featuring Turkey’s President Erdogan confronting Israel’s President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos and added the following comment (originally in Arabic): “This is the only beautiful memory from the life of the deceased butcher [Shimon] Peres.”
February 24, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared an article entitled “Muslim MPs Stayed On The Sidelines As Parliament Condemned Boycotts Of Israel” adding the following comment (originally in English): “So shocking!”
December 13, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre’s photo featuring an ad inviting the public to attended a lecture by the “renowned scholar from Egypt” Shaykh Nash’at Ahmad.
According to Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Shaykh Nash’at Ahmad is affiliated with the Egyptian Salafi movement which was subjected to security restrictions and even arrest and trial in various cases related to fatwas, or Islamic edicts, urging the support of Mujahideen (Muslims who engage in jihad) in Palestine and justifying the 9/11 attacks. Shaykh Nash’at Ahmad is also known for his anti-Jewish sermons:
“O Allah, destroy the Jews and whom they ally with… count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them”; “O Allah, destroy the Jews and all others who support them in countries around the world”; “O Allah, purify the Muslims lands from their filth and squalor, O Allah liberate the imprisoned Al-Aqsa [mosque]”; “ Allah, destroy the aggressors who are the Jews and those who support them”; “O Allah don’t give the infidel or the oppressor a way to overcome us… Destroy the Jews, the Christians, the Americans, the Europeans, the Shiites, the Communists, the Russians, the Hindus, the traitors, the oppressors and the criminals”; “O Allah, return the Muslims countries to the Muslims and purify [the Muslim lands] from the filth of the infidels and the polytheists [also identified by Muslim scholars as Christians].”
Ayman Elkasrawy also “Liked” the following videos on his YouTube channel:
- “The Lion of Palestine, the martyr Abdel Aziz Rantisi. Words that history will preserve forever. We will win, Allah willing” [originally in Arabic] – The almost 9 minute video clip features a compilation of some of some of the most fiery speeches by Abdel Aziz Al-Rantisi, co-founder of Hamas and later the supreme leader of Hamas (2004). In these speeches Rantisi vowed to continue the jihad against Israel, including by attacking Israeli cities and communities that at that time during the al-Aqsa Intifada were targeted by hundreds of Palestinian suicide bombers and attackers.
- “Undermine the security of Israel, like an earthquake” [originally in Arabic]. The song clip was produced by al-Qassam Brigades, the “military” wing of Hamas that is designated by Canada as a terrorist organization. It was was later removed by YouTube, but still available here. The clip features Palestinian rockets attacks on Israel by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The lyrics of the al-Qassam Brigades’ song read: “Attack, carry out operations… kill all Zionists… undermine the security of Israel, set it on fire, destroy it, even its foundations… drive out all Zionists.”
- A video featuring Saudi Imam Muhammad Al-Arifi reciting a supplication in which he said: “O Allah, give victory to the mujahideen in Greater Syria. O Allah give victory to our brothers in Palestine over the usurping Jews.”
So I asked the Star “Why didn’t the Toronto Star publish Ayman Elkasrawy’s social media posts and “Likes” on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube that directly or indirectly mention or deal with the Jews, Israel, Zionists and the Zionist lobby?
I also asked questions of Ayman Elkasrawy:
Please explain why did you share and post the Facebook posts and tweets mentioned in the article?
You stated: “I have nothing to hide”. Why did you change on August 6, 2018 the status of your tweets into “protected” which means that only your 40 (forty) followers can have access to read them?
Why did you remove on August 6, 2018 all Likes from your YouTube Channel?
Screenshots of Ayman Elkasrawy’s social media posts are available here
And in return I received from all:
SILENCE
#FAKENEWS Toronto Star ignored Ayman Elkasrawy’s sympathy with Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades
I continue to send media inquiries to the Toronto Star because they published a four page article, A Toronto imam was accused of hate-preaching against Jews. But that wasn’t the whole story:
that whitewashed Ayman Elkasrawy, an imam at “Masjid Toronto” mosque, of his views on Jews and Israel in order to treat him as a victim of mistranslation and manipulation. The article appears to be an attempt to exonerate him of anti-Jewish and anti-infidel prayers during Ramadan 2016.
The article focused on Elkasrawy’s “outreach to the Jewish community to educate himself and learn from his mistakes.”
The reporter also wrote “he also realized he had made serious mistakes, for which he needed to apologize.”
“Neither I, Masjid Toronto or the congregation harbour any form of hate towards Jews.”
And according to Yang, Elkasrawy just “made hurtful mistakes that he could not adequately explain.” And Elkasrawy himself said: “I’m not so good at being social. The more you talk, the more you make mistakes.”
Yang, the reporter, and English the public editor, appear to have missed his social media posts which paint a different picture.
Honest Reporting Canada also reached out to the Toronto Star, Kathy English the public editor. On October 30, 2017 the Toronto Star’s Public Editor, Kathy English, told Honest Reporting Canada that “the reporters [Jennifer Yang] and her editors put an immense amount of thought and consideration into this piece.”
But, the article is filled with errors in fact and gross omission of facts pertinent to the Imam’s views.
Here is some background. And then I will focus on Elkasrawy’s views on Hamas which were sent to The Toronto Star in the form of a media inquiry. I sent a similar inquiry to Elkaswary with the following questions:
- Please explain why did you share and post the Facebook posts and tweets mentioned in the article?
- You stated: “I have nothing to hide”. Why did you change on August 6, 2018 the status of your tweets into “protected” which means that only your 40 (forty) followers can have access to read them?
- Why did you remove on August 6, 2018 all Likes from your YouTube Channel?
And heard nothing.
Jennifer Yang, The Toronto Star reporter, contacted Lt. Col (Ret.). He replied July 25 2017, three months before the article was published: “Ayman Elkasrawy’s posts on social media may help you a great deal in your research.”
Yang wrote in her article: “Elkasrawy says he agreed to speak with the Star because “I have nothing to hide.”
Yang emphasized: “[The] context is key in determining the appropriate translation [of Elkasrawy’s prayers].”
Yang DID NOT publish any information from Elkasrawy’s social media posts. She also DID NOT tell the readers that Jonathan Halevi recommended that she look into Elkasrawy’s social media posts.
“Why?” is my question.
Here are some of Elkasrawy’s statements on Facebook that are about Hamas. His Facebook posts on Hamas and al-Qassam Brigades are available here.
December 19, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared شبكة قدس الإخبارية‘s video on Mohammed Zawari adding the following comment (originally in Arabic): “A real hero and a great loss… We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return… May Allah have mercy on his soul and accept him as a martyr.” Zawari was an operative of Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades (Canada-designated terrorist organization) who supervised its drone program. In December 2016 he was gunned down near the city of Sfax, Tunisia. Hamas blames Israel for killing of its drone expert.
November 24, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared Al Jazeera’s news report entitled “Egyptian – Israeli cooperation to thwart smuggling weapons to Hamas” adding (originally in Arabic) “Verily, the curse on Allah on [Abdel Fattah] el-Sisi [Egypt’s President] and his soldiers.”
I am going to assume here that Elkasrawy is familiar with Hamas.
Hamas is designated by Canada as a terrorist entity since November 27, 2002. According to Public Safety Canada: “Hamas, the Arabic acronym for the group Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamiya, is a radical Islamist-nationalist terrorist organization that emerged from the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1987. It uses political and violent means to pursue its goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in Israel. Since 1990, Hamas has been responsible for several hundred terrorist attacks against both civilian and military targets. Hamas has been one of the primary groups involved in suicide bombings aimed at Israelis since the start of the Al-Aqsa intifada in September 2000. In 2006, Hamas participated in and won Palestinian parliamentary elections, leading to negotiations between the group and the Palestinian Authority over the establishment of a unity government. In 2007, however, Hamas overthrew the Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip and seized power of the coastal territory. Although the group’s political leadership resides in Damascus, Hamas uses the Gaza Strip as a base for terrorist operations aimed against Israel.”
July 27, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy posted in relation to a post on Mohammed Faqih the following (originally in Arabic): “May Allah accept him as a martyr at uppermost heaven.”
Mohammed Faqih was an operative of Hama’s al-Qassam Brigades, who murdered (July 1, 2016) Israeli Rabbi Miki Mark and later was killed after he opened fire at Israeli troops who surrounded the house in which he was hiding. Hamas is designated by Canada as a terrorist entity since November 27, 2002.
Hamas website posted the following on Mohammed Faqih:
“The Hamas Movement has mourned the death of 29-year-old Mohamed al-Faqih, who carried out in early July a heroic shooting attack near Otniel settlement, calling him one of the bravest members of its armed wing al-Qassam Brigades. Faqih was killed at dawn Wednesday during armed clashes with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank village of Surif, north of al-Khalil. “The brave martyr, al-Faqih, was one of Palestine’s finest sons and noted prisoners [in Israeli jails], who served their homeland and their cause,” Hamas stated. The Movement also hailed the martyr for the great sacrifices he made for the dignity of his people, and saluted the residents of Surif town for their steadfastness in the face of the occupation and its troops. The Movement renewed its vow to uphold the path of martyrs and noble fighters, and to continue making precious sacrifices for Palestine, its people and holy sites.”
April 1, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared a post stating the following (originally in Arabic]: [Hamas’] al-Qassam Brigades [Canada-designated terrorist entity] publish for the first time the pictures of the four soldiers of the occupation who are being held prisoners by it. May Allah bless the factory of men #Hamas and bless in its jihad. # We are proud of you.” Elkasrawy added (originaly in Arabic): “Be aware, and have a doubt [meaning Hamas message keeps Israel in the dark with regard to the fate of the four soldiers]” accompanied with a laughing emoticon sticker.
More Background information on Hamas and its al-Qassam Brigades
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya Reaffirms Hamas’ Commitment to Armed Resistance and Says: We Will Liberate Palestine in Its Entirety, from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River.
Following are excerpts from a public address delivered by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on December 14, 2011:
Ismail Haniya:
This is the message of Hamas. This is the identity of Hamas. This is the very being of Hamas. Today, Hamas marches along parallel tracks: the track of da’wa and education, the track of resistance and Jihad, and the track of rule and of politics. This is the best response to those who think to themselves, or imagine, that Hamas has withdrawn from the line of resistance, and has withdrawn from the confrontation with this enemy.
Today, we say, in a clear and unambiguous fashion: The armed resistance and armed struggle are our strategic choice and our path to liberate the Palestinian land, from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Jordan] River, and to drive the usurping invaders out of the blessed land of Palestine.
The Hamas movement, which was born in the first Intifada, and lived through the second Intifada, with the grace of Allah, and with the help of this people and all its free man, and with the strong-willed resistance factions of the people, will continue to lead one Intifada after the other, until we liberate Palestine in its entirety, Allah willing…
Jerusalem is Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic. I don’t mean only East Jerusalem. Jerusalem in its entirety is the capital of the state of Palestine, Allah willing.
Therefore, in an effort to strengthen the bond of the Islamic nation and the capitals of the Arab revolution to Jerusalem and to Al-Aqsa, we issue a call from this place, from the heart of glorious Gaza, from Jerusalem and its environs to establish the “Army of Jerusalem” in the Arab capitals and the capitals of the revolution, in order to take action to liberate Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, Allah willing…
The principles [of Hamas] are definitive and non-negotiable: Palestine means Palestine in its entirety, from the River to the Sea. There will be no concession of a single inch of the land of Palestine… We will work with our people with regard to the things upon which we agree politically, and we will exert all our efforts and our power of resistance to achieve this common goal. However, we maintain two conditions – as I am sure do many of our people, as well as the factions of the mujahideen and the resistance: first, that we will not concede a single inch of the land of Palestine, and second, that we will not recognize Israel.
Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad: The Americans and the Jews Are Abhorred Worldwide; The Americans Are Led by the Jews, “Outcasts Who Live Off Corruption and Plundering”
Following are excerpts from an interview with Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on December 14, 2010:
Fathi Hammad:
The Jews have become abhorred and loathed outcasts, because they live off corruption and the plundering of the peoples – not only the Arab and Islamic peoples, but all the peoples of the world. The world has begun to be aware of this corrupting danger, and to applaud Hamas. The entire world says: “Bravo, Hamas, for confronting these people pf corruption.” Whenever we score a goal, by achieving something against the Jews, the world applauds us. When we are playing, the entire world supports us.
Therefore, I expect that in the future, support for Hamas will grow. I also expect that in addition to the aid convoys, Hamas will get some “heavy stuff,” which will help it be victorious. Hamas will receive its means of survival, its arms, and its supporters from where it is lease expected, because the hatred for the Jews is on the rise, and people who hate the Jews find no [other] way to fulfill their hatred of the Jews and of the Americans – the Americans too have become abhorred throughout the world, because of their corruption, for they are led by the Jews – and they will support us.
Former Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad: We Will Annihilate the Brothers of Apes and Pigs
Following are excerpts from a public address delivered by former Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad, which aired on Al-Jazeera Network on October 31, 2014:
Fathi Hammad:
We say to the brothers of apes and pigs: No matter how much you destroy, dig, and try to build settlements around the Al-Aqsa Mosque, we are coming to uproot you, to annihilate you, and to destroy you…
The hypocrites will find themselves in the lowest level of Hellfire. Whoever shackles his people and their resistance, whoever shackles the AK-47s, will be trampled under the feet of our people in this world, and will find himself in the lowest level of Hellfire in the world to come.
Here are some questions I asked of John Boynton, Bob Hepburn, Kathy English and Jennifer Yang:
- Toronto Star maintained that “[The] context is key in determining the appropriate translation [of Elkasrawy’s prayers].” So why didn’t the Toronto Star disclose the fact that Ayman Elkasrawy’s Facebook posts express sympathy with Hamas/ al-Qassam Brigades, a Canadian designated terrorist organization?
- Why didn’t the Toronto Star tell its readers about Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Halevi’s recommendation to Jennifer Yang to look into Elkasrawy’s social media posts?
I was overwhelmed with silence-again.
Toronto Star #FAKENEWS What did Ayman Elkasrawy mean by reciting “slay them one by one”
I have been writing a series of articles about a four-page article, October 22, 2017 by the Toronto Star, dedicated to an attempt to exonerate Ayman Elkasrawy, an imam at “Masjid Toronto” mosque, from anti-Jewish and anti-infidel prayers during Ramadan 2016.
The reporter, Jennifer Yang, believed that the Imam had been misunderstood and so she met with him to talk about the supplication he had made in the Majid Mosque in which he may have said the “filth of the Jews.”
I have sent several media inquiries to the Publisher, John Boynton; Bob Hepburn media inquiries; Kathy English and Jennifer Yang.
None responded.
In this article I am again going to take you back to Elkaswary’s social media posts. On July 25, 2017 Lt.Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Halevi sent an email to the reporter Jennifer Yang: “Ayman Elkasrawy’s posts on social media may help you a great deal in your research.”
The Toronto Star either refused to read them when the suggestion was made or they chose to ignore them. If the social media posts were ignored, the question that needs to be asked is “Why”?
Yang had written in her October 2017 article: “Elkasrawy says he agreed to speak with the Star because “I have nothing to hide.”
Yang emphasized: “[The] context is key in determining the appropriate translation [of Elkasrawy’s prayers].” Yet it appears that Yang did not include the context-that came from the social media posts.
How would a reporter verify views and thoughts, today? Social media posts can help analyse views; they reflect “context” that was so important to Jennifer Yang and the public editor Kathy English.
Today I am writing about Elkasrawy’s posts about ISIS. From the article:
“Elkasrawy says he invoked it [“slay them one by one”] on behalf of Syrian people killed and tortured by the government regime or by Daesh (ISIS) terrorists.”
It appears that he is attacking ISIS.
Is he?
Ayman Elkasrawy’s social media posts dealt with ISIS (a.k.a. Islamic State, ISIL, Daesh, Caliphate) and the jihad against the enemies of Islam and/ or the Muslim nation. Here are some of his Facebook posts on these issues and others:
July 20, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy posted the following (originally in Arabic): “With regard to the Libyan brothers who equate between the group of the traitor and criminal [Khalifa Belqasim] Haftar [commander of the armed forces loyal to the elected, internationally backed legislative body, the Libyan House of Representatives] and the nobles of Libya. How are you now? Is asking assistance from the French is a natural thing? And if not should we sit [idle] and say ISIS and not ISIS and this nonsense. Regarding France, I don’t know why they are yet again become upset when they get slapped on the neck [attacked] in their own country. Blessed are the hands of those who shoot down their plane.”
Between December 2014 and July 2016 France had experienced a wave of terrorist attacks. The latest major attack took place a week before Ayman Elkasrawy published his post. On the evening of 14 July 2016, a 19 tonne cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, resulting in the deaths of 86 people and the injury of 458 others. The driver was Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian resident of France. The attack ended following an exchange of gunfire, during which Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was shot and killed by police. ISIL [Islamic State a.k.a ISIS, Daesh] claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Lahouaiej-Bouhlel answered its “calls to target citizens of coalition nations that fight the Islamic State”. On 15 July, François Molins, the prosecutor for the Public Ministry, which is overseeing the investigation, said the attack bore the hallmarks of jihadist terrorism… French President François Hollande called the attack an act of Islamic terrorism.”
July 19, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy posted the following (originally in Arabic): “Look what [Turkey’s President] Erdogan’s position on using Incirlik [air] base to kill Muslims? Allah never forgets [or Allah gives the wrongdoers a chance but He doesn’t ignore what they’re doing]… And the divine punishment will inevitably come !!!” In a comment to his post Elkasrawy wrote: “On the Day of Judgment, Erdogan will be held accountable for this [allowing the US army to use Turkish military bases “to attack Muslims in Iraq and Syria”. He added, “personally I wish he [Erdogan] will be innocent before Allah Exalted be He from this great sin.”
Two days earlier, on July 17, 2016 the Pentagon Press Secretary tweeted: “UPDATE: After close coordination with our Turkish allies, counter-ISIL coalition air operations in Turkey have resumed.” On the same day Time reported that the U.S. resumed its anti-ISIS airstrikes from Turkish Incirlik airbase.
August 5, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared a YouTube video featuring Jabhat Fateh al-Sham’s attack in Aleppo adding (originally in Arabic): “O Allah, let them hit their targets.”
CBC reported that “[Jabhat] Al-Nusra changed its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham(Front for the Conquest of the Levant)”.
On November 7, 2013 Jabhat Al-Nusra was designated by Canada as a terrorist entity. Public Safety Canada states:
“According to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Jabhat Al-Nusra is an Al Qaida affiliated Sunni militant Islamist group in Syria. Jabhat Al-Nusra aims to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s Ba’athist regime, establish an Islamic state and expel the minority Alawite and Christian communities from Syria. Jabhat Al-Nusra has claimed responsibility for nearly 600 attacks-such as ambushes, kidnappings, assassinations, Improvised Explosive Device attacks and suicide bombings-in major city centers including Damascus, Aleppo, Hamah, Dara, Homs, Idlib, and Dayr al-Zawr. During these attacks numerous innocent Syrians have been killed.”
May 27, 2015 – Ayman Elkasrawy retweeted the following message byمحمد منتصر @montaseregy (originally in Arabic):
“This is our religion and these are our scholars. Egypt is calling, we will not go back. Being loyal to the Zionist aggressors, supporting and protecting them and being hostile to the Palestinian resistance/ struggle/ fight [muqawamah] and conspiring against it, and imposing a siege on it by destroying Sinai [Peninsula] and displacing its people, is a betrayal of the religion [Islam] and the homeland [Egypt].”
U.S. Department of State’s report (2016) on the terrorism originating from the Sinai Peninsula states the following: “In Egypt, terrorists conducted numerous deadly attacks on government, military, and civilian targets throughout the country. Several high-profile attacks at the end of the year indicated the threat level remained high despite a focus on counterterrorism by the government. ISIS continued its terrorist campaign in the Sinai through the local ISIS-affiliate, ISIL-Sinai Province (ISIL-SP, formerly Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis). The Egyptian Armed Forces conducted a counterterrorism campaign against ISIL-SP in North Sinai, known as Operation “Right of the Martyr” starting in September 2015 through 2016.”
December 15, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared شبكة رصد’s video accompanied with the following caption (originally in Arabic): “Graphic pictures! of the Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo before and after it was destroyed by Assad forces and Russia.” In this context Elkasrawy posted the following comment (originally in Arabic): “The impure [anjas] rejectionists [“rawafid” – derogatory manner by Sunni Muslims to describe the Shiite Muslims].”
December 7, 2015 – Ayman Elkasrawy posted the following comments on 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack (originally in English):
“Both victims were found dead in handcuffs. Are we supposed to believe that they initiated a gun battle with police while wearing handcuffs and shooting through rolled-up windows?! It seems that the two patsies were handcuffed, set in place for execution according to a scripted plan, and summarily shot dead.”
On December 2, 2015, 14 people were killed and 22 others were seriously injured in a terrorist attack consisting of a mass shooting and an attempted bombing at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California. The perpetrators, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, a married couple living in the city of Redlands, targeted a San Bernardino County Department of Public Health training event and Christmas party of about 80 employees in a rented banquet room. Farook was a U.S.-born citizen of Pakistani descent, who worked as a health department employee. Malik was a Pakistani-born lawful permanent resident of the United States. After the shooting, the couple fled in a rented sport utility vehicle (SUV). Four hours later, police pursued their vehicle and killed them in a shootout, which also left two officers injured.
December 13, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre’s photo featuring an ad inviting the public to attended a lecture by the “renowned scholar from Egypt” Shaykh Nash’at Ahmad.
According to Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Shaykh Nash’at Ahmad is affiliated with the Egyptian Salafi movement which was subjected to security restrictions and even arrest and trial in various cases related to fatwas, or Islamic edicts, urging the support of Mujahideen (Muslims who engage in jihad) in Palestine and justifying the 9/11 attacks. Shaykh Nash’at Ahmad is also known for his anti Jewish sermons (“O Allah, destroy the Jews and whom they ally with… count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them”; “O Allah, destroy the Jews and all others who support them in countries around the world;”
“O Allah, purify the Muslims lands from their filth and squalor, O Allah liberate the imprisoned Al-Aqsa [mosque]”; “ Allah, destroy the aggressors who are the Jews and those who support them”; “O Allah don’t give the infidel or the oppressor a way to overcome us… Destroy the Jews, the Christians, the Americans, the Europeans, the Shiites, the Communists, the Russians, the Hindus, the traitors, the oppressors and the criminals”; “O Allah, return the Muslims countries to the Muslims and purify [the Muslim lands] from the filth of the infidels and the polytheists [also identified by Muslim scholars as Christians].”
August 30, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared an article written by Jamal Abdul Sattar, a professor at al-Azhar University and the Secretary General of the Association of Sunni Scholars, summarizing its main points: “a killer, a rapist and a person who attacks property of people and their dignity, regardless of his identity whether he is the ruler or the governed, has no sanctity [the sanctity of his blood does not apply to him] and has no protection. Islam made it permissible to spill his blood and it is a duty to punish him [in accordance to his actions].”
December 19, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy posted the following (originally in Arabic): “The ambassador of the butchers was annihilated [smiley face emoticon].”
Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, was assassinated by Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, an off-duty Turkish police officer, at an art exhibition in Ankara, Turkey on the evening of 19 December 2016. The assassination took place after several days of protests in Turkey over Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War and the battle over Aleppo.
August 8, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy posted the following (originally in Arabic):
“O Allah do not defer [it] to this butcher and criminal [Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah Sissi] and his soldiers… O Allah avenge… remove their kingdom.”
Here are other Facebook posts by Ayman Elkasrawy on political matters:
October 8, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy posted (originally in Arabic): “… The Malaysian Muslim is closer to me than the Egyptian Christian…”
October 20, 2015 – Ayman Elkasrawy (originally in English): “Yeaaaaay, the bigot PM Stephen Harper is finally out. Bye Bye Mr. Harper. Welcome Mr. #Trudeau #anyonebutharper”
October 19, 2015 – Ayman Elkasrawy (originally in English): Just voted ☺Let’s kick Harper out of office. Vote Harper out #anyonebutharper #strategicvoting — feeling hopeful.
October 7, 2015 – Ayman Elkasrawy posted: “Vote for the strongest opposition candidate in your riding! #anyonebutharper”
Ayman Elkasrawy” from Toronto signed (Feb 24, 2015) a petition entitled “Stop Graphic Revisions to Ontario’s Sex Education Curriculum.”
Screenshots of Ayman Elkasrawy’s social media posts are available here.
These are the questions I sent to the Toronto Star. I received SILENCE in return. AGAIN.
- Ayman Elkasrawy told the Toronto Star that he invoked the “Slay them one by one” prayer “on behalf of Syrian people killed and tortured by the government regime or by Daesh (ISIS) terrorists.” A few weeks later he criticized Turkey’s President for allowing the US to use Incirlik airbase for attacks in Syria and Iraq (against ISIS). Do you think Ayman Elkasrawy was sincere and truthful?
- Toronto Star quoted Ayman Elkasrawy’ “I have nothing to hide.” Why didn’t the Toronto Star challenge this statement and demand an explanation from Elkasrawy why he deactivated his Facebook account a few days after Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Halevi’s article was published?
- Why did the Toronto Star’s Public editor, Kathy English, refuse to allow Jonathan Halevi and B’nai Brith Canada to publish a response to Yang’s defamatory article? Does this decision reflect the Toronto Star’s journalistic standards and ethics?
- My investigative articles debunked many of the foundations of Yang’s article and brought forward new information. Why does the Toronto Star refuse to answer any of my questions or correct errors found in the article in question? Does such an approach reflect the Toronto Star’s journalistic standards and ethics?
I also sent an email inquiry to Ayman Elkasrawy: He, too, responded with SILENCE. AGAIN.
- You told the Toronto Star that you invoked the “Slay them one by one” prayer “on behalf of Syrian people killed and tortured by the government regime or by Daesh (ISIS) terrorists.” A few weeks later you criticized Turkey’s President for allowing the US to use Incirlik airbase for attacks in Syria and Iraq (against ISIS). Were you sincere and truthful in your statement to Toronto Star?
- Did you post the following: “Regarding France, I don’t know why they are yet again become upset when they get slapped on the neck [attacked] in their own country”? Did your Facebook post refer to ISIS attack in Nice?
- Why did you oppose the American use of the Turkish airbase for attacks in Syria and Iraq?
- Please explain your Facebook posts that deal with ISIS and the jihad.
- You told the Toronto Star: “I have nothing to hide.” Why did you deactivate your Facebook account a few days after Jonathan Halevi’s article was published? Why did you remove all “Likes” from your YouTube account? Why did you change your Twitter account to “protected”?
#FAKENEWS Toronto Star concealed Ayman Elkasrawy’s affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood
Toronto Star concealed Ayman Elkasrawy’s affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood .
On October 30, 2017 the Toronto Star’s Public Editor, Kathy English, told Honest Reporting Canada that “the reporters [Jennifer Yang] and her editors put an immense amount of thought and consideration into this piece.”
Background
On October 22, 2017, the Toronto Star dedicated four pages, including its front page, to an attempt to exonerate Ayman Elkasrawy, an imam at “Masjid Toronto” mosque, from anti-Jewish and anti-infidel prayers during Ramadan 2016. It is filled with errors in fact and the gross omission of facts.
The article was written by Jennifer Yang and approved by Kathy English, the Star’s public editor.
I have sent several media inquiries to the Publisher, John Boynton; Bob Hepburn media inquiries; Kathy English and Jennifer Yang. None responded.
Responding to a media inquiry from Jennifer Yang, The Toronto Star reporter Jonathan Halevi wrote the following on July 25, 2017:
“Ayman Elkasrawy’s posts on social media may help you a great deal in your research.”
Yang wrote in her article: “Elkasrawy says he agreed to speak with the Star because “I have nothing to hide.”
Yang emphasized: “[The] context is key in determining the appropriate translation [of Elkasrawy’s prayers].”
Yang DID NOT publish in her article any information from Elkasrawy’s social media posts. She also DID NOT tell the readers that Jonathan Halevi recommended that she look into Elkasrawy’s social media posts.
The following are some of Elkasrawy’s statements on Facebook and Twitter:
February 12, 2017 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared with a “love emoticon sticker” الجزيرة – مصر’s an album featuring statements praising Hassan al-Banna the founder of the global movement of the Muslim Brotherhood on anniversary of his assassination by the Egyptian secret police in 1949.
December 9, 2016 – [Abdel Fattah] el-Sisi [Egypt’s President] is a Kafir [unbeliever, infidel].
October 9, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared انصار بورسعيد’s video adding (originally in Arabic): “May Allah have mercy on [Saad Mohamed el-Husseiny] el-Shazly [Egypt’s chief of staff during the October/ Yom Kippur War against Israel in 1973] and may Allah free President [Mohammad] Morsi [leader of the political party of the Muslim Brotherhood] from his captivity.”
September 22, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared CNN’s Erin Burnett’s tweet “On whether saying “radical Islamic” terror is fair, the Muslim leader of the ‘most populous Arab country [Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi] says. YES “It is Islamic extremism.” Elkasrawy added the following comment (originally in Arabic): “The head of the hypocrisy of this era, the criminal, the traitor.”
August 8, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy posted the following (originally in Arabic): “O Allah do not defer [it] to this butcher and criminal [Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah Sissi] and his soldiers… O Allah avenge… remove their kingdom.”
July 4, 2016 – Ayman Elkasrawy shared كلنا خالد سعيد – نسخة كل المصريين’s photo adding (originally in Arabic): “May Allah free the President Dr. Mohammad Mursi [leader of the political party of the Muslim Brotherhood] form captivity.”
April 3, 2014 – Ayman Elkasrawy tweeted (originally in Arabic): “Morsi is my President.”
Mohammad Morsi is a former President of Egypt and the leader of the political party of the Muslim Brotherhood who was overthrown and arrested by the current President of Egypt Abdul Fattah Sissi.
Ayman Elkasrawy’s social media reflect his support of the Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt headed by Mohammad Morsi and affiliation with Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood – Background
Excerpts from “The Way of Jihad” by Hassan al-Banna:
“All Muslims Must Make Jihad. Jihad is an obligation from Allah on every Muslim and cannot be ignored nor evaded. Allah has ascribed great importance to jihad and has made the reward of the martyrs and the fighters in His way a splendid one. Only those who have acted similarly and who have modelled themselves upon the martyrs in their performance of jihad can join them in this reward. Furthermore, Allah has specifically honoured the Mujahideen with certain exceptional qualities, both spiritual and practical, to benefit them in this world and the next. Their pure blood is a symbol of victory in this world and the mark of success and felicity in the world to come…
“Islam is concerned with the question of jihad and the drafting and the mobilisation of the entire Umma into one body to defend the right cause with all its strength than any other ancient or modern system of living, whether religious or civil. The verses of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of Muhammad (PBUH) are overflowing with all these noble ideals and they summon people in general (with the most eloquent expression and the clearest exposition) to jihad, to warfare, to the armed forces, and all means of land and sea fighting…
“Why Do the Muslims Fight?… jihad is used to safeguard the mission of spreading Islam. This would guarantee peace and the means of implementing the Supreme Message. This is a responsibility which the Muslims bear, this Message guiding mankind to truth and justice… The Muslims in war had only one concern and this was to make the name of Allah Supreme, there was no room at all for any other objective…
“Many Muslims today mistakenly believe that fighting the enemy is jihad asghar (a lesser jihad) and that fighting one’s ego is jihad akbar (a greater jihad). The following narration [athar] is quoted as proof: “We have returned from the lesser jihad to embark on the greater jihad.” They said: “What is the greater jihad?” He said: “The jihad of the heart, or the jihad against one’s ego.” This narration is used by some to lessen the importance of fighting, to discourage any preparation for combat, and to deter any offering of jihad in Allah’s way. This narration is not a saheeh (sound) tradition…
“My brothers! The ummah that knows how to die a noble and honourable death is granted an exalted life in this world and eternal felicity in the next. Degradation and dishonour are the results of the love of this world and the fear of death. Therefore prepare for jihad and be the lovers of death. Life itself shall come searching after you.”
“The Goals of the Muslim Brotherhood” – Excerpts from the Muslim Brotherhood’s official website
“The prophet Muhammad as its leader and ruler, and jihad as its path.”
“We want a Muslim individual, a Muslim home, a Muslim people, a Muslim government and state that will lead the Islamic countries and bring into the fold the Muslim Diaspora and the lands robbed from Islam and will then bear the standard of jihad and the call [da’wah] to Allah. [Then the] world will happily accept the precepts of Islam….The problems of conquering the world will only end when the flag of Islam waves and jihad has been proclaimed.”
“The goal is to establish one Islamic state of united Islamic countries, one nation under one leadership whose mission will be to reinforce adherence to the law of Allah…and the strengthening of the Islamic presence in the world arena….The goal…is the establishment of a world Islamic state.”
“And if prayer is a pillar of the faith, then jihad is its summit…and death in the path of Allah is the summit of aspiration.”
Muslim Brotherhood’s Global Goals according to Yusuf Qaradawi and Muhammad Mahdi ‘Akef
Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, a staunch Islamist, who in the past was a candidate for the Muslim Brotherhood leadership, issued a fatwa in April 2003, describing how Islam would conquer Europe and defeat Christianity by exploiting Western liberalism and democracy. It would be made possible, he promised, by spreading Islam until it was strong enough to take over the entire continent. He wrote that “it is eminently clear that the future belongs to Islam, and that the religion of Allah will be victorious and will, by the grace of Allah, conquer all other religions.” His prediction was based on an Islamic tradition according to which the prophet Muhammad said that one of the signs of redemption in Islam would be the initial conquest of Constantinople and then the conquest of Rome.
According to Qaradawi, “Constantinople was conquered in 1453 by a 23-year old Ottoman named Muhammad ibn Murad, whom we call Muhammad the Conqueror. Now what remains is to conquer Rome. That is what we wish for, and that is what we believe in. After having been expelled twice, Islam will be victorious and reconquer Europe….I am certain that this time, victory will be won not by the sword but by preaching and [Islamic] ideology….The conquest of Rome and the spread of Islam East and West will be the fruit of the seed we plant and entail the return of the Caliphate, which treads the straight path [of Islam] and is based on the path of the prophets….[The Caliphate] is worthy of leading the nation to victory.…”
Like Qaradawi, ‘Akef does not hide the Muslim Brotherhood’s aspirations to lead a world Islamic revolution. He has stated that “the path of the Muslims is global,” and Islam is the “religion of humanity.” The Caliphate, he explained, is “the home of the entire [Islamic] nation, not only of the Muslim Brotherhood….We want…the Arab-Muslim world to be one nation, relying on the words of Allah: ‘This is your nation, one nation.’”
Questions:
Toronto Star maintained that “[The] context is key in determining the appropriate translation [of Elkasrawy’s prayers].” So why didn’t the Toronto Star disclose the fact that Ayman Elkasrawy’s affiliation with Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood and his support of the Muslim Brotherhood’s government in Egypt headed by Mohammad Morsi?
Why didn’t the Toronto Star tell its readers about Jonathan Halevi’s recommendation to Jennifer Yang to look into Elkasrawy’s social media posts?
On October 30, the Toronto Star’s Public Editor, Kathy English, told Honest Reporting Canada that “the reporters [Jennifer Yang] and her editors put an immense amount of thought and consideration into this piece.”
Did Jennifer Yang or anyone else at Toronto Star heed Jonathan Halevi’s recommendation and read Elkasrawy’s social media posts?
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #13
“If Elkasrawy had uttered the words he is alleged to have said during the supplication, they would be without doubt antisemitic, appalling, and indefensible.”
The Facts
The ample evidence detailed above based on credible Islamic sources as well as Elkasrawy’s own words on social media and his third supplication support Halevi’s translation.
The claims about the allegedly mistranslated Elkasrawy’s supplications revolved mainly around three lines:
- [O Allah!] Give us victory over the disbelieving people
- O Allah! Count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them.
- O Allah! Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews!
Just for the sake of demonstrating the accuracy of Halevi’s translation, I’ll present some of the Islamic sources he relied on:
- [O Allah!] Give us victory over the disbelieving people – Translation of the Quran by Mustafa Khattab, a senior member of the Canadian Council of Imams, who has “over two decades of experience in Arabic-English Islamic translation” and is an “authority on interpreting the Quran.”
- O Allah! Count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them – Translation of the Hadith by sunnah.com, part of a more extensive network including quran.com that provides translation of the Islamic holy scriptures.
- O Allah! Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews! – Translation by Hezb ut-Tahrir, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Furthermore, on Jul 21, 2017, three months before the Toronto Star’s article was published, The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) published a similar supplication by Egyptian-born American preacher Ammar Shahin that was posted on Davis Masjid YouTube channel. MEMRI translated his key line in his prayer as follows: “Oh Allah, liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews.” The Arabic word adnas (plural of danas used by Elkasrawy) was translated with same meaning “filth.”
On July 27, 2017, Imam Ammar Shahin issued an official apology in which he stated:
“Recently in my Sermons, I let my emotions get the best of me and cloud my better judgement. I said things that were hurtful to Jews. This was unacceptable… I do understand how my words were hurtful, and I am sorry. I understand that speech like this can encourage others to do hateful and violent acts, for this I, truly apologize. Words matter and have consequences.”
Imam Ammar Shahin did not contest the accuracy of MEMRI’s translation which was exactly like Halevi’s translation.
In addition, Jonathan Halevi provided the Toronto Star with his translation of prayers recited by Shaykh Nash’at Ahmad who had been invited to speak at the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre in December 2016.
The following are excerpts from Shaykh Nash’at Ahmad‘s sermons:
January 6, 2016: “O Allah, destroy the Jews and whom they ally with… count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them.”
October 5, 2016: “[O Allah] Destroy the Russians and purify the Muslim lands from their filth [danas]. O Lord, destroy all aggressors, including the Shiites, Bashr [Assad], Alawites and others. O Allah, destroy the aggressors who are the Jews and those who support them… O Allah, they corrupted your land and You do not like the corruption… O Allah, purify the Muslim land from their filth [danas] and squalor. O Allah, purify imprisoned al-Aqsa [mosque] from their hands [of the Jews]. O Allah, restore the Caliphate [Islamic State] for the Muslims.”
In April 3, 2018, Ibrahim Hindy, Imam of Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre in Mississauga, Ontario was asked on 1010 News Radio if his mosque had been associated with any speaker who embarrassed him in anyway. He said yes. But:
“Apparently, you know, he came, he gave a speech and, you know, he didn’t say anything really wrong in it, but then I found out later and I was embarrassed later that in other countries yet said things that really were anti-Semitic, not only anti-Semitic, a couple other things he said that were kind of hateful towards other countries and I had no idea, right, so I mean I felt embarrassed. I reach out to the Jewish community right after that cause I felt, I felt really bad about that, and you know it’s challenging, but we have to do better.”
The “he” about whom Hindy referred is Shaykh Nash’at Ahmad, a well-known scholar from Egypt. Hindy has now described some of Shaykh Nash’at Ahmad’s sermons as “anti-Semitic.”
Hindy did not contest Halevi’s translation.
Jasmin Zine’s allegation #14
This case illustrates the how the interaction of various sectors of the Islamophobia industry came together to foment controversy. The groups involved in this example represent the soft-power groups (JDL-Canada, B’nai Brith Canada, a former IDF spokesperson, Canary Mission), Muslim dissidents (Tarek Fatah, Mohamed Tawhidi), Islamophobia foot soldiers (Soldiers of Odin), and media propagators, Rebel News. In concerted ways that echoed, amplified, and attempted to validate the discourse that Muslims are antisemitic through the weaponization of Qur’an, these diverse individuals and groups became united in a common cause of vilifying Elkasrawy to propagate Islamophobic narratives that engender hatred and distrust of Muslims.”
The Facts
Jonathan Halevi was not “a former IDF spokesperson.” Instead, he served as the head of the Information Branch of the IDF spokesperson’s Unit.
Jasmin Zine published a false statement that read: “In concerted ways that echoed, amplified, and attempted to validate the discourse that Muslims are antisemitic through the weaponization of Qur’an, these diverse individuals and groups became united in a common cause of vilifying Elkasrawy to propagate Islamophobic narratives that engender hatred and distrust of Muslims.”
Jonathan Halevi has not “echoed, amplified, and attempted to validate the discourse that Muslims are antisemitic through the weaponization of Qur’an,” but accurately translated Ayman Elkasrawy’s prayer, provided essential background information on the mosque and similar prayers by other imams and Islamic literature.
Zine’s claim that Halevi’s “weaponizing of Qur’an” is ridiculous, as in his translation, he took the relevant sentence from an official translation Quran and detailed in the article in question other Canadian Islamic literature that supports the same translation.
Jasmin Zine published a false statement that read: “these diverse individuals and groups became united in a common cause of vilifying Elkasrawy to propagate Islamophobic narratives that engender hatred and distrust of Muslims.”
Jonathan Halevi did not “vilify” Elkasrawy nor “propagate Islamophobic narratives that engender hatred and distrust of Muslims” but presented the facts without adding any judgmental statements.
I detailed the evidence in the chapter “The Facts” on “Jasmin Zine’s allegation #7.”
Appendix 1 – An excerpt from Jasmin Zine’s book
Wilfrid Laurier University
Scholars Commons @ Laurier
Sociology Faculty Publications Sociology
7-10-2022
“The Canadian Islamophobia Industry: Islamophobia’s Ecosystem in the Great White North”
Jasmin Zine
https://iphobiacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Canada-Report-2022-1.pdf
- 19-21
1.5
Ayman Elkasrawy Case Study: The Islamophobia Industry in Action
The case of Ayman Elkasrawy illustrates the way the Islamophobia industry operates to orchestrate controversies through networked actions, disseminating Islamophobic narratives, fabricating information, and weaponizing religious texts to demonize Muslims and support antiMuslim propaganda.
Ayman Elkasrawy was a PhD student in electrical engineering at Ryerson University (now Metropolitan Toronto University) who held the position of assistant Imam at the Masjid Toronto mosque. In 2016, while leading prayer, El-Kasrawy recited a supplication that was recorded and posted on the mosque’s website. Eight months later, a Toronto Star article noted that the video had resurfaced in a digitally manipulated version that was spliced together with mistranslated Arabic. The doctored video was reposted to the now defunct CIJ News website under the title Supplications at Masjid Toronto Mosque: “Slay them one by one and spare not one of them.”
This version of the video was circulated by numerous news outlets, and Jewish organizations were outraged by what were misconstrued as antisemitic comments. Of particular offence was the alleged statement, “Oh Allah! Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews.” Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is a contested holy site for both Muslims and Jews. The Canadian pro-Zionist, Jewish-advocacy organization, B’nai Brith Canada (see chapter 6), urged Ryerson (now Toronto Metropolitan) University to fire Elkasrawy. The Jewish Defence League Canada (JDLCanada) sent the tape to the Toronto police and filed a hate-crime complaint. Elkasrawy was fired from the university and suspended as Imam of Masjid Toronto.
Elkasrawy was blindsided by the accusations and publicly apologized for any offence caused to the Jewish community, which he stated was not his intent. Wanting to rectify the misunderstanding and to learn more about how his words caused offence he reached out to Bernie Farber, former chief executive officer of the Canadian Jewish Congress, former executive director of the Mosaic Institute, and board chair of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network. Farber accepted the request and, upon meeting Elkasrawy, realized that although his choice of words was problematic, he was not antisemitic. Elkasrawy agreed to take part in a series of workshops on antisemitism and human rights offered by Dr. Karen Mock through the Mosaic Institute.
If Elkasrawy had uttered the words he is alleged to have said during the supplication, they would be without doubt antisemitic, appalling, and indefensible. To determine the veracity of his statements, the Toronto Star contacted several international Arabic-language experts to have them view the tapes. Their scholarly review determined that not only had the video been digitally manipulated (segments from different parts of his supplication were spliced together), it was also mistranslated. For example, what Elkasrawy said was not to “purify Al-Aqsa Mosque form the filth of the Jews,” but rather to “cleanse Al- Aqsa Mosque from the Jews’ desecration of it.”
Elkasrawy later acknowledged that referring to “the Jews” was not as clear as saying “Israelis,” which is what he meant. He said he would have preferred to say, “Oh Allah, protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque from occupation,” or “Preserve the sacredness of the Al-Aqsa Mosque from violation.”
The timing of his supplication was during the holy month of Ramadan, when Arab news reported that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque and beat worshippers, while Israeli news characterized the clashes as the result of “masked Arab assailants” hurling rocks.
The violence and tensions at Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan were the impetus for Elkasrawy’s prayer to preserve this holy site.
In another example of what linguistic specialists referred to as “propaganda translation,” experts clarified that Elkasrawy’s alleged call to “slay them one by one” was not a reference to Jews or Al-Aqsa Mosque but was taken from another part of his supplication made on behalf of suffering in the Muslim world. Expert examination of the videotape revealed that there were digitally manipulated sections where different parts of Elkasrawy’s prayer were spliced together to provide “slanted translations” transforming the Qu’ranic verse that states “Thou art our Protector.
Help us against those who stand against faith” to “Give us victory over the disbelieving people.” These fabrications served to weaponize the Qu’ran (see chapter 3) to support Islamophobic discourses that represent Islam as a violent and radical faith. Other Islamophobic narratives connected to this controversy included the “counter-jihad” ideology, which promotes dystopic scare stories of Muslim take overs of Western nations (see chapter 3).
The video of Elkasrawy’s prayer was initially posted on CIJ News, an obscure far-right media outlet that has since been taken down, although some posts remain archived on the pro-Israel platform Honest Reporting. CIJ News was founded by Jonathan Dahoah Halevi, who was head of the Information Branch of the IDF Spokesperson Unit from 2002 to 2003 and head of the Palestinian Research Branch in the IDF Intelligence Unit between 1998 and 2002. Notably, Halevi was the translator behind the altered video. Aside from his ties to the Israeli military, Halevi was also a prominent blogger at Rebel News (see chapter 4), where he participated in weekly talks with Rebel founder, Ezra Levant.
Despite the Toronto Star providing impartial reviews by third-party Arabic-language experts, Halevi maintained the accuracy of his translation and continued to make posts about the case to his CIJ News site before eventually taking it down after the Toronto Star contacted him. B’nai Brith Canada also refused to accept the Arabic-language experts’ opinions and contacted unnamed translators who endorsed Halevi’s version.
In a comment to the Toronto Sun, Tarek Fatah (see chapter 7) shared another mistranslated video with the discredited Imam, Mohammad Tawhidi (see chapter 7), who claimed that Elkasrawy’s prayer in this video said, “Whoever wants bad to happen to Muslims return his plots to his neck and flip the plot onto him and punish them like you punished Aad and Thamud.” The version that Tawhidi, who is not an expert in Arabic linguistics, put forward is also inconsistent with the translations offered by the scholars. Throughout this controversy, competing translations were leveraged to support the initial narrative against Elkasrawy, which reinforced the idea that Muslims as a population are antisemitic.
As a result of this orchestrated controversy, Elkasrawy not only lost his job at Ryerson University and his position of assistant Imam at the Masjid Toronto mosque,6 but he became publicly branded as antisemitic. The U.S.-based pro-Israel website, Canary Mission, dedicated to documenting academics who are critical of Israeli policies and deemed antisemitic as a result, added Elkasrawy’s profile to their website along with the mistranslation of his supplication.
They also posted some of his retweets, which they deemed showed a “hatred for Israel.” Elkasrawy’s picture was placed on posters at anti-Muslim rallies against Motion 103, a nonbinding motion to address Islamophobia in Canada put forward by Liberal MP Iqra Khalid after the Quebec City mosque shooting (see chapter 2). A photo captured members of JDL-Canada and the far-right, White nationalist group, Soldiers of Odin, with arms around each other at a rally in front of a sign that read “Imam Ayman Elkasrawy, Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews.”
This case illustrates the how the interaction of various sectors of the Islamophobia industry came together to foment controversy. The groups involved in this example represent the soft-power groups (JDL-Canada, B’nai Brith Canada, a former IDF spokesperson, Canary Mission), Muslim dissidents (Tarek Fatah, Mohamed Tawhidi), Islamophobia foot soldiers (Soldiers of Odin), and media propagators, Rebel News. In concerted ways that echoed, amplified, and attempted to validate the discourse that Muslims are antisemitic through the weaponization of Qur’an, these diverse individuals and groups became united in a common cause of vilifying Elkasrawy to propagate Islamophobic narratives that engender hatred and distrust of Muslims.
Appendix 2 – CIJ News original article
http://en.cijnews.com/?p=205803 / https://archive.is/SSaH1
Supplications at Masjid Toronto Mosque: “Slay them one by one and spare not one of them”
Posted by: Jonathan D. Halevi February 18, 2017
Masjid Toronto mosque in downtown Toronto is affiliated with the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC).
The mosque operates in two locations in downtown Toronto: Masjid Toronto at Dundas (168 Dundas St. West) and Masjid Toronto at Adelaide (84 Adelaide St. East).
Dr. Wael Shihab was appointed in April 2014 to a full-time resident Imam of the mosque Masjid Toronto.
Shihab has a PhD in Islamic Studies from Al-Azhar University and he was the head of the Fatwa (Islamic opinion) Unit of IslamOnline.net (English website) and the Shari’ah (Islamic Law) consultant of the Shari’ah department of Onislam.net.
He is also a member of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) headed by Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, who played a major role in launching both aforementioned websites.
The following are some of Shihab’s views as presented in articles and Islamic rulings posted on Onislam.net:
- The solution to the global violence, extremism and oppression is Islam
- Qaradawi’s book “Jurisprudence of Jihad” should serves as a guidance to Muslims
- Thieves’ hands should be chopped off no matter their social status
- Person who underwent gender reassignment surgery should return to his original gender
- Muslims should avoid gays as homosexuality is evil and succumbing to the temptations of the Satan
- Wife should not reject her husband’s call for having sex
For more information click HERE.
In 2016, imams (religious leaders who lead the prayers) at the mosque recited supplications to Allah in support of the “mujahideen (those of engage in jihad) everywhere”, the total destruction of the enemies of Islam and the purification of Al-Aqsa Mosque from the “filth of the Jews.”
The following are excerpts from these supplications (originally in Arabic):
O Allah! We ask you… [to give us] victory over the enemies
O Allah! Raise the standing of Islam and the Muslims
O Allah! Give victory (help) to your oppressed slaves all over the world, east to west
O Allah! Give victory (help) to your slaves who believe in the oneness of Allah, O the Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Destroy the criminals
O Allah! Destroy anyone who inflicts injustice on your slaves, O the Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them.
O Allah! Do not defer [it] on them
O Allah! Seize them with the seizure of One Mighty, Omnipotent [referring to a Quranic verse that deals with the punishment Allah inflicted on Pharaoh and his people]
The sermon was delivered on June 15, 2016 and published on YouTube on June 17, 2016.
[Embedded video] Ramadan 1437 Hijri /2016 – 11th Night Taraweeh – 1:26:49 (https://archive.is/o/SSaH1/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzXCGPvY3HM)
[O Allah!] Give us victory over the disbelieving people…
O Allah! Give victory to Islam and raise the standing of the Muslims
And humiliate the polytheism and polytheists
O Allah! Give victory (help) to your slaves who believe in the oneness of Allah, O the Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Give them victory over the criminal people
O Allah! Destroy anyone who killed Muslims
O Allah! Destroy anyone who displaced the sons of the Muslims
O Allah! Count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them
O Allah! Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews!
O Allah! Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews!
The sermon was published on YouTube on July 4, 2016. According to Masjid Toronto YouTube channel: “Isha [night-time prayer] and 1st part of Taraweeh [special evening prayer in Ramadan] led by Br. Murshid, 2nd part of Taraweeh led by Dr. Mustafa Hannout, 3rd part of Taraweeh and Witr [night prayer] led by Br. Aymen Elkasrawy.” Dr. Mustafa Hannout is seen standing next to Aymen Elkasrawy when he was reciting the above supplication.
[Embedded video] Ramadan 1437 Hijri/2016 – 29th Taraweeh – 1:41:31 (https://archive.is/o/SSaH1/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqSzKIhTWo8)
O Allah! Raise the standing of Islam and the Muslims
And humiliate the polytheism, the polytheists, the infidels and the atheists
And Give victory (help) to your slaves who believe in the oneness of Allah
O Allah! Give victory to our oppressed and deprived Muslim brothers and the mujahideen (those who engage in jihad) everywhere
O Allah! Pour on them patience and steadfast their feet
And give them victory over the disbelieving people
And give them victory over the evildoers
And give them victory over the criminals
[Embedded video] 8 July 2016 | Khutbah by Shaykh Abdool Hamid – 27:00 (https://archive.is/o/SSaH1/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-gAPx4ZDeE)
The sermon that was delivered by Shaykh Abdool Hamid. It was published on YouTube on July 8, 2016 (click HERE). He recited similar supplications at Masjid Toronto mosque also on:
- June 6, 2016 (click HERE)
- December 11, 2015 (click HERE)
- November 13, 2015 (click HERE)
- August 14, 2015 (click HERE)
- June 12, 2015 (click HERE)
- May 13, 2015 (click HERE)
- May 8, 2015 (click HERE)
- January 8, 2016 (click HERE)
Similar prayers were also delivered in 2014 by Imam Sayed AlGhitawi (سيد الغتاوي) at Al Andalous Islamic Center in Montreal, Quebec. At the end of his sermons AlGhitawi recited supplications to Allah to support the mujahideen (Muslims who engage in jihad) in Palestine and to inflict total destruction on the Jews.
See also: ICNA Canada online syllabus: “Muslims will dominate the Jews”, kill them (click HERE).
The following are excerpts from Sayed AlGhitawi’s supplications in 2014 (originally in Arabic – click HERE and HERE):
Supplication – A
O Allah, give victory to our brothers who engage in Jihad for Your sake in everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds
O Allah, give victory to our brothers who engage in Jihad in Palestine
O Allah, connect to their hearts
O Allah, make their feet firm
O Allah, make their feet firm
O Allah, give them victory over their enemy
O Allah, destroy the accursed Jews
O Allah, show us the black day you inflict on them
O Allah, show us the wonders of your power and ability inflicted on them, O the most Merciful
O Allah, show us how you do to them what you did to [the peoples] of ʿĀd and Thamud [ancient peoples that perished by Allah because they didn’t heed the warnings of the prophets]
O Allah, show us how you do them what you did to [the people] of ʿĀd and Thamud
O Allah, rain down on them rain of stones made of Sigil stones, O Lord of the Worlds
O Allah, rain down on them rain of stones made of Sigil stones, O the most Merciful
O Allah, make their children orphans and their women widows
Supplication – B
O Allah, give victory to our brothers who engage in Jihad in Palestine, O Lord of the Worlds
O Allah, make their feet firm
O Allah, make their feet firm
O Allah, unite their ranks…
O Allah, destroy the accursed Jews
O Allah, show us the black day you inflict on them
O Allah, show us the wonders of your power and ability inflicted on them, O the most Merciful
Shook the ground beneath their feet
O Allah, kill them one by one
O Lord, don’t leave any of them [alive]
See also Quebec mosque says calls for death of Jews were taken out of their “real context” (click HERE)
Free books at Dundas Square promoting supplications against the disbelieving people
Activists at the Islamic booth at Toronto’s Dundas Square have been offering for passerby free literature on Islam. CIJnews obtained some of these books and booklets:
Muslim Prayer Handbook for Beginners
The booklet recommends Muslims to recite a number of supplications to Allah to overcome and defeat the enemies of Islam who are identified as the disbelieving people (click HERE):
…Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions, establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving people.
Our Lord! Bestow on us patience, make our foothold sure, and give us help against the disbelieving folk.
Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget, or fall into error. Our Lord! Let not on us a burden like that which You laid on those before us. Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving people.
24 Hours With The Prophet
The booklet recommends on the following supplications (click HERE):
- 71-73
The Witr (Night Prayer)
“… O Allah, we seek your help and request Your forgiveness and believe and trust in You and we praise You in the best manner and we thank You and we are not ungrateful to You, we also abandon and reject anyone who disobeys You.
“O Allah, we worship nothing but You, and we perform prayers for You, we Prostrate to You, and we hope for Your mercy and we fear Your punishment. Your punishment. Your punishment surely overtakes the disbelievers.”
- 120-121
“For Patience and endurance
“Our Lord! Bestow on us patience, make our foothold, and give us help against the disbelieving folk.” [2:250]
“The most comprehensive Supplication
“…Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget, or fall into error. Our Lord! Lay no us a burden like that which You laid on those before us. Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” [2:286]
“The Prophet PBUH said: “Whoever recites the two verses [2:285:286] at night, it will sufficient to protect him from misfortune.” (Bukhari)
- 122
“To overcome enemies
“Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions, establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” [3:147]
- 124
Protection from oppressors
“…Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the people who are Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers) (i.e. do not make them overpower us). And save us by Your Mercy from the disbelievers.” [10:85:86]
- 156
“Protection from the enemies
“O Allah, we beg You to restrain them by their necks and we seek refuge in You from their evil.” (Abu Dawood)
The Accepted Dua by Abu Umar Abdulazeez, the Imam of Abu Huraira Center in Toronto click HERE):
“Our Lord, forgive us our sins and the excessiveness [committed] in our affairs and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people.”
“O Allah, destroy the disbelievers that deny Your messenger, and block others from Your path, and descend upon them Your punishment, O Allah, destroy the disbelievers who were given the Book [Jews and Christians]. You are the True God.”
Appendix 3 – Media Inquires sent to Jasmin Zine
March 19, 2023
Ms. Zine ([email protected]),
On page 20 of your book “The Canadian Islamophobia Industry: Mapping Islamophobia’s Ecosystem in the Great White North” you wrote:
“In a comment to the Toronto Sun, Tarek Fatah (see chapter 7) shared another mistranslated video with the discredited Imam, Mohammad Tawhidi (see chapter 7), who claimed that Elkasrawy’s prayer in this video said, “Whoever wants bad to happen to Muslims return his plots to his neck and flip the plot onto him and punish them like you punished Aad and Thamud.” The version that Tawhidi, who is not an expert in Arabic linguistics, put forward is also inconsistent with the translations offered by the scholars. Throughout this controversy, competing translations were leveraged to support the initial narrative against Elkasrawy, which reinforced the idea that Muslims as a population are antisemitic.”
In this paragraph you provided the following link to the Toronto Sun’s article: https://archive.is/wRdTd.
Both the archived (linked in your book) and the original Toronto Sun’s article (http://torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-imam-accused-of-spewing-hate-at-a-toronto-mosque-again) do not contain Elkasrawy’s third prayer. The article was first published on November 4, 2017, and its first archived version was saved on November 5, 2017. (https://web.archive.org/web/20171105100457/http://torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-imam-accused-of-spewing-hate-at-a-toronto-mosque-again). Also, the earliest version of this article does not contain the video of Elkasrawy’s third prayer (the link leads to a YouTube channel that no longer exists).
To avoid any misunderstanding that may inadvertently suggest that you made the above allegations in your book without having access to the video in question; I’d like to ask you the following questions:
Have you ever had access to the video featuring Elkasrawy’s third prayer mentioned in your book?
Have you ever watched/heard Elkasrawy’s third prayer?
Next, in the paragraph I cited above from your book, you stated that Tawhidi’s translation “is also inconsistent with the translations offered by the scholars.” However, I did not see any reference to “translations offered by the scholars,” and I cannot find the citation for the allegedly “correct” translation or mention of the identity of “the scholars.” Please provide these citations.
What are the “translations offered” by these scholars to the words of Elkasrawy’s third prayer?
Who are these anonymous scholars?
Do their translations contradict in any way, shape, or form the fact that in Elkasrawy’s third prayer, he asked Allah to punish the enemies of Islam with the same punishment He inflicted on the two tribes Aad and Thamud that Allah competently annihilated?
These questions are highly important and relevant because the same Toronto Sun article you referenced, included Jonathan Halevi’s translation of Elkasrawy’s third prayer that you did not mention in your book and never contested. Why did you not refer to Mr. Halevi’s translation?
From the Toronto Sun article:
“This video shows the imam chanting: “O Allah, whoever wishes ill for us and wishes ill for Islam and the Muslims, make his plot tied around his neck. O Allah, turn fate against them and annihilate them as you annihilated the peoples of Aad and Thamud.”
“Defending his translation, former Israeli intelligence officer Jonathan Halevi says he “uses Islamic information sources” to backup his own knowledge of Arabic and explained the prayer can be translated as either “annihilated” or destroyed.” (https://archive.is/wRdTd)
Please respond by Monday 6PM, Monday, March 20, 2023.
If you require more time, please let me know.
January 30, 2023
Dear Ms. Zine ([email protected]),
On page 10 of your book, The Canadian Islamophobia Industry: Mapping Islamophobia’s Eco-System in the Great White North, you wrote about researching your book: “This required sifting through media bias, fact-checking all claims, and diving deep into [the] internet “rabbit holes.”
You recently stated that “purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews” is “a terrible and antisemitic statement.”
In my recent media inquiry, I attached multiple reliable Islamic sources supporting the translation published by Jonathan Halevi. I also included Ayman Alkasrawy’s social media posts that revealed his views on Jews and terrorism, including ISIS and Hamas.
I presented the evidence to all five experts approached by the Toronto Star. Four did not respond to the media inquiries nor contested the translation, as shown in the Islamic sources. The fifth admitted that he received only a fraction of the sermon without context. None of these experts presented evidence based on Islamic sources as did Halevi.
Questions:
I am assuming you read the evidence I shared in my last media inquiry. Do you still contest the accuracy of Halevi’s translation? If so, on what grounds?
Did you contact Jonathan Halevi for comment before publishing your book?
You wrote that you fact-checked all claims, yet it appears that you omitted facts that support Mr. Halevi’s translation. Why is that? Why did you not include any evidence based on reliable Islamic sources supporting Halevi’s translation in your book?
Please respond by 10AM Wednesday, February 1, 2023.
If you need more time, let me know.
Note: The media inquiry was re-sent on February 3, 2023.
Ms. Zine ([email protected]),
I am re-sending my previous media inquiry.
Please respond by morning Monday, February 6, 2023, or I will assume that you are not contesting the facts that I have forwarded to you; especially the accuracy of Mr. Halevi’s translations, based on Islamic sources.
January 23, 2023
Dear Jasmin Zine ([email protected]),
In chapter 1.5 “Ayman Elkasrawy Case Study: The Islamophobia Industry in Action” (pp. 19-21) of your book “The Canadian Islamophobia Industry” (2022), you have re-printed the debunked false and defamatory allegations initially published by the Toronto Star.
A series of investigative articles and my book “Anatomy of #FakeNews in the Era of Donald Trump” exposed the gross errors of omission in the Toronto Star’s report. In addition, they confirmed the accuracy of the translation published by Jonathan Halevi, a translation which mainly relied on, and was taken from, reliable Islamic sources, including Canadian Islamic sources (see appendix).
Question
Were you aware of the plethora of publications debunking the Toronto Star article before printing your book and since then?
Appendix – Investigative articles refuting Toronto Star’s allegations
- Anatomy of #FakeNews in the Era of Donald Trump is a case study of unethical journalism
- #FakeNews spreads like a virus when errors and omissions are not corrected
- Is the Toronto Star Canada’s #FAKENEWS media outlet?
- Toronto Star publishes fake news but refuses to retract even after being proven wrong
- Why doesn’t the Toronto Star correct and apologize for its front page #FakeNews article?
- Was Toronto Star’s front page exposé defamatory fake news?
- Toronto Star #FAKENEWS It’s not manipulation…it’s an ellipsis
- Ibrahim Hindy sets his own definition of antisemitism in Muslim prayers
- #FakeNews: What didn’t Toronto Star tell readers about its “independent” expert?
- #FAKENEWS Toronto Star concealed Ayman Elkasrawy’s affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood
- Toronto Star #FakeNews: Writing about social media posts but neglecting to check them!
- #FAKENEWS Toronto Star ignored Ayman Elkasrawy’s sympathy with Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades
- #FakeNews Toronto Star-where were Elkasrawy’s anti-Jewish/ Israel posts?
- Toronto Star #FAKENEWS What did Ayman Elkasrawy mean by reciting “slay them one by one”
- #FakeNews Toronto Star: What prayers are shared in the Masjid Toronto Mosque?
- Why did #FakeNews Toronto Star ignore Elkasrawy’s Third Supplication
- Why Canadian Imams Recite Prayers against the “Filth of the Jews”
- Are non-Muslims are impure/ filthy? [Hebrew]
- Toronto Star’s “Fake News” Serving “Political Islam”
Please respond by 11:00 AM Wednesday, January 25, 2023. If you require more time, let me know.
Appendix 4 – 11.14 Policy for the Responsible Conduct of Research
Approving Authority: President
Original Approval Date: June 27, 2012
Date of Most Recent Review/Revision: January 27, 2020
Office of Accountability: Vice-President: Research
Administrative Responsibility: Office of Research Services
1.00 PURPOSE
1.01 Wilfrid Laurier University considers responsible conduct in research to be an essential component of academic integrity. As such, the university holds all involved in research at Laurier to the highest standards of ethical conduct. This policy:
- Outlines and promotes the responsible conduct of research and lists the responsibilities of Laurier researchers; and
- Defines activities that can constitute a breach with respect to responsible conduct of research.
1.02 This policy meets the requirements of the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research as required under the Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions, between the university and the Tri-Agencies. To best conform with the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research document, sections of this policy are reproduced from the Framework to minimize potential ambiguity.
2.00 DEFINITIONS
2.01 Allegation: A declaration, statement, or assertion communicated in writing to the institution to the effect that there has been, or continues to be, a breach of the Responsible Conduct of Research Policy, the validity of which has not been established.
2.02 Breach: A breach of the Responsible Conduct of Research Policy is the failure to comply with the Policy at any time during the life cycle of a research project – from application for funding, to the conduct of the research and the dissemination of research results.
2.03 Complainant(s): An individual or representative from an organization who has notified the university of potential research misconduct and/or a suspected breach of the Responsible Conduct of Research Policy.
2.04 Research misconduct: Any research practice that deviates seriously from the commonly accepted ethics/integrity standards or practices of the relevant research community. Examples of research misconduct include, but are not limited to, the following:
2.04.01 Fabrication: Making up data, source material, methodologies or findings, including graphs and images;
2.04.02 Falsification: Manipulating, changing, or omitting data, source material, methodologies or findings, including graphs and images, without acknowledgement and which results in inaccurate findings or conclusions;
2.04.03 Destruction of research records: The destruction of one’s own or another’s research data or records to specifically avoid the detection of wrongdoing or in contravention of the applicable funding agreement, institutional policy and/or laws, regulations and professional or disciplinary standards;
2.04.04 Plagiarism: Presenting and using another’s published or unpublished work, including theories, concepts, data, source material, methodologies or findings, including graphs and images, as one’s own, without appropriate referencing and, if required, without permission;
2.04.05 Redundant publication or self-plagiarism: The re-publication of one’s own previously published work or part thereof, including data, in any language, without adequate acknowledgment of the source, or justification;
2.04.06 Invalid authorship: Inaccurate attribution of authorship, including attribution of authorship to persons other than those who have made a substantial contribution to, and who accept responsibility for, the contents of a publication or document;
2.04.07 Inadequate acknowledgement: Failure to appropriately recognize contributors;
2.04.08 Mismanagement of conflict of interest: Failure to appropriately identify and address any real, potential or perceived conflict of interest, in accordance with the institution’s policy on conflict of interest in research, preventing one or more of the objectives of the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research from being met;
2.04.09 Misrepresentation in grant and award applications and related documents:
- Providing incomplete, inaccurate or false information in a grant or award application or related document, such as a letter of support, curriculum vitae, or progress report;
- Applying for and/or holding an award when deemed ineligible by an Agency or any other research funding organization world-wide for reasons of breach of responsible conduct of research policies such as ethics, integrity or financial management policies; and
- Listing of co-applicants, collaborators or partners without their agreement.
2.04.10 Mismanagement of grant and award funds: Using grant or award funds for purposes inconsistent with the policies of the funding agency; misappropriating grants and award funds; contravening the funding agency’s financial policies; or providing incomplete, inaccurate or false information on documentation for expenditures from grant or award accounts;
2.04.11 Failure to fulfil compliance and other requirements related to research activities: Failing to meet funding agency or university policies for research activities, or failure to comply with relevant policies, laws or regulations, for the conduct of certain types of research activities; failing to obtain or comply with the appropriate approvals, permits, or certifications before and in conducting these activities (including research ethics board or animal care approvals);
2.04.12 Breaching Tri-Agency review process: Not complying with the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy of the Federal Research Funding Organizations and/or participating in a Tri-Agency Review process while under investigation.
2.05 Respondent(s): An individual who has been identified in an allegation as having possibly breached the Responsible Conduct of Research Policy.
2.06 Secretariat on Responsible Conduct of Research (Tri-Agency Secretariat): A body established by the Tri-Agencies to support the implementation of the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research. The Secretariat is responsible for managing allegations of breaches of Tri-Agency policies nationally.
2.07 Tri-Agencies: Canada’s three federal granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
3.00 SCOPE
3.01 This policy applies to all individuals involved in research under the auspices or jurisdiction of the university. This includes, but is not limited to faculty, adjunct faculty, post-doctoral fellows, research assistants and associates, visiting scientists, staff, and students.
3.02 Where the respondent to an allegation of research misconduct is a student of the university, and the alleged misconduct relates to a research activity completed as a part of course-work, or for course credit, the allegations will normally be investigated using the procedures set out in the Student Code of Conduct and Discipline.
3.03 Where the respondent to an allegation of research misconduct is a student of the university, the alleged misconduct relates to a research activity completed as a part of course-work, or for course credit, and the research activity is funded by an external funding agency (including the Tri-Agencies), the allegation will be investigated under the procedure set out in this policy.
3.04 All other non-course related cases of allegations of research misconduct involving students (e.g., in the case of paid employment as a research associate or assistant) shall be investigated under the procedure set out in this policy.
3.05 This policy shall not impede academic freedom and shall not affect or conflict with the provisions of collective agreements or any relevant legislation.
4.00 POLICY
4.01 In their search for, and dissemination of knowledge, Laurier researchers shall practice honesty, accountability, openness and fairness. Researchers are responsible for the following:
4.01.01 Scholarly and scientific rigour in proposing and performing research; in recording, analyzing, and interpreting data; and in reporting and publishing data and findings;
4.01.02 Keeping complete and accurate records of data, methodologies and findings, including graphs and images, in accordance with the applicable funding agreement, institutional policies, laws, regulations, and professional or disciplinary standards in a manner that will allow verification or replication of the work by others;
4.01.03 Referencing and, where applicable, obtaining permission for the use of all published and unpublished work, including theories, concepts, data, source material, methodologies, findings, graphs and images;
4.01.04 Including as authors, with their consent, all those and only those who have made a substantial contribution to, and who accept responsibility for, the contents of the publication or document. The substantial contribution may be conceptual or material;
4.01.05 Acknowledging appropriately all those and only those who have contributed to research, including funders and sponsors;
4.01.06 Appropriately identifying and addressing any real, potential or perceived conflict of interest, in accordance with Laurier’s 8.1 Conflict of Interest policy;
4.01.07 Providing true, complete and accurate information in their funding applications and related documents and representing themselves, their research and their accomplishments in a manner consistent with the norms of the relevant field(s);
4.01.08 Certifying that they are not currently ineligible to apply for, and/or hold funds from a funding organization for reasons of breach of responsible conduct of research policies such as ethics, integrity or financial management policies;
4.01.09 Ensuring that others listed on funding applications have agreed to be included;
4.01.10 Using grant or award funds in accordance with the policies of the funding agency, and for providing true, complete, and accurate information on documentation for expenditures from grant or award accounts;
4.01.11 Complying with all university, Tri-Agency and other external requirements and legislation for the conduct of research, including, but not limited to:
- Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct of Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2);
- Canadian Council on Animal Care Policies and Guidelines;
- Agency policies related to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act;
- Licenses for research in the field;
- Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines;
- Controlled Goods Program; Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) Regulations; and
- Canada’s Food and Drugs Act.
4.01.12 Being proactive in rectifying breaches, for example by correcting the research record or repaying funds; and
4.01.13 Complying with the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy of the Federal Research Funding Organizations and confirming that they are not currently under investigation for an alleged breach of any responsible conduct of research policies such as ethics, integrity or financial management policies, when participating in an external funding agency review processes.
4.02 In determining whether conduct deviates from relevant research community standards or practices, it is not relevant to consider whether a breach was intentional or a result of honest error. However, intent is a consideration in deciding on the severity of the recourse that may be imposed
4.03 Allegations of research misconduct shall be investigated in accordance to the procedures set out in this policy
5.00 GENERAL
5.01 The privacy of the complainant(s) and respondent(s) shall be protected to the extent possible as provided under applicable university policy, collective agreements, and/or legislation.
5.02 The university will take such steps as may be necessary and reasonable to protect the rights, positions and reputations of individuals who in good faith make allegations of research misconduct, or whom it calls as witnesses in the formal investigation.
5.03 The university will not tolerate any retaliation or reprisal, through any means including through social or other electronic media, against anyone who in good faith makes an allegation of research misconduct or who participates in a university process that is addressing allegations of research misconduct, including individuals whom it calls as witnesses in the formal investigation undertaken by the vice-president: research or designate.
5.04 The university may take disciplinary action against those who make allegations of misconduct in research which are reckless, malicious and not in good faith.
From the Ethics of the Fathers: “Rabbi Tarfon used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it.”
