COMMUNITY ALERT: Anti-Islam Speaker to Present at MA Synagogue
COMMUNITY ALERT: Anti-Islam Speaker to Present at MA Synagogue
CAIR-MA wishes to alert the community that this coming Thursday, anti-Islam speaker Daniel Akbari will be presenting at Ahavath Torah Congregation in Stoughton, MA. Mr. Akbari’s previous speaking engagements have consisted of inflammatory and misleading statements about Islam and Muslims, and his writings include claims such as “Those Muslims who believe in Islam and the Koran and understand its teachings about Jihad and believe in it are potential Jihadists who are dangerous,” and dire warnings that American Muslims are “laying the ground for a takeover” and that “Anytime they might start to become practicing Muslims and support Islam to achieve its goal, which is establishing Sharia in the whole world through Jihad.” He has claimed that “Moderate Muslims… are the backbone of jihad.” CAIR maintains that such claims contribute to the stigmatization of the millions of peaceful American Muslims, and lead to episodes of exclusion and violence directed toward them.
The leadership of the Ahavath Torah Congregation unfortunately has a history of inviting anti-Islam speakers to address its community, such as far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders in 2009. Wilders has gained infamy for comparing the Quran to Mein Kampf, and has supported a ban on the building of mosques.
While CAIR-MA vigorously defends the right of the synagogue to bring whomever it wishes to speak, and the right of Mr. Akbari to his own protected free speech, we are concerned to learn that a religious center is giving a platform to a speaker with such a clear anti-Muslim bias, and ask them to withdraw the invitation.