An imam from Saudi Arabia who called for the killing of Jews will not speak at an Islamic center in Toronto next week, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said on Thursday.
The Salaheddin Islamic Centre in Scarborough had invited Tawfeeq As-Sayegh to speak at its annual winter conference, which will be held from December 24-25, the American Center for Democracy and Economic Warfare (ACD) had exposed.
Among his past statements, As-Sayegh once said, “[Killing] is the solution for the Jews. Only killing them is the solution and exterminating them from the face of the earth in accordance to Hitler’s philosophy in case it was real.”
CIJA’s Vice President in the Greater Toronto Area, Noah Shack, said in a statement on Thursday that the organization had received a translation of As-Sayegh’s past comments against Jews and immediately contacted leaders in the local Muslim community to express concerns.
“I am pleased to let you know that we quickly received confirmation that As-Sayegh will no longer be attending the conference,” said Shack.
“While it is deeply unsettling that someone who had allegedly expressed such horrific views would be invited in the first place, we appreciate the responsiveness of Muslim community leaders who took appropriate action when his disturbing history was revealed,” he continued.
“Anti-Semitism is not the domain of any religious or political movement. It exists on the Right and the Left. It is present among parts of the Muslim community as well as among adherents of other religions. Wherever it exists, we must confront it by working in partnership with leaders in those communities – making a strong case for why there must be no room for anti-Semitism,” concluded Shack.