Pittsburgh imam Naeem Abdullah Monday uploaded a video titled Setting the Record Straight and Addressing the Slanderous Attacks against Me! in response to media backlash following Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) Special Dispatch No. 7868, particularly a February 2 article by Peter Smith in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette titled Report Denounces Remarks Of Leader at Small Larimer Mosque.
Abdullah's response video had the text "#MEMRIslander" written in the bottom right corner. Addressing Muslims and "anyone who desires to arrive at the truth," Abdullah said the MEMRI clip about him uses "cherry-picked" clips that are taken out of context in order to stitch together a false narrative that he teaches antisemitism, disrespect for law enforcement, and intolerance of non-Muslims.
Abdullah said that it is un-Islamic to be anti-Semitic, and he explained that he uses the Quranic story about Allah turning some Jews into apes and pigs in order to teach Muslims obedience to the law and about opposing evil acts.
He also said that the Jewish tribes were expelled from Medina for treason, and not because they were Jewish.