Virginia imam Shaker Elsayed said, in a video uploaded to the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center's YouTube channel on April 3, 2020, that Allah tests humanity every year with the flu, but that this year He sent the coronavirus in order to get humanity's attention. He gave a Quranic example in which Allah punished the Jews for violating the prohibitions against usury and for wrongly "devouring" people's money, and in which Allah said that He had prepared "severe and painful torment" for the Jews, who are guilty of these crimes. He added that today usury is being practiced by every nation in the world, not only by the Jews, and criticized humanity for legalizing things that Allah has prohibited such as abortion, homosexuality, and usury. Elsayed also said that the capitalist system enslaves everybody and that the current situation is a "wake-up call" from Allah.
The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Fairfax County, Virginia, where Imam Elsayed preaches, is known for being linked to former Al-Qaeda leader Anwar Al-'Awlaki, who had been the imam of the Center when 9/11 took place. It is also linked to some of the 9/11 terrorists, to Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, and to other known jihadis.
Elsayed's statements have been the subject of controversy in the past. In 2017, he endorsed female genital mutilation, saying it prevents women from being "hypersexually active." He also prayed that Allah "grant victory to His servants, the mujahideen, wherever they are." He has also said that "Muslim men – when there is a price to pay, they are first in line... they are the first in the jihad line... they are last if anything is being distributed – except if it is arms for jihad." Despite these statements from Elsayed, some U.S. politicians have visited and held events at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, including Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA)[1] and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D-VA).[2]
Senator Kaine attended prayers at the mosque on November 2, 2018.
For more sermons by Imam Shaker Elsayed released by MEMRI, see the following reports and clips:
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Virginia Imam Shaker Elsayed: Arab Regimes Collaborate with Israel; We Must Remove Arab Governments by Any Means Possible, August 9, 2019
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Virginia Imam Shaker Elsayed Against Peace Process with the Jews: It's in Their Genes and Blood, June 2, 2017
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Virginia Imam Shaker Elsayed Endorses Female Circumcision (FGM): It Prevents Girls from Becoming Hypersexually Active, May 19, 2017
To view the clip of Imam Shaker Elsayed on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
"Every Year, Allah Tests Humanity With The Flu... This Year... [COVID-19] Has Created More Fear Than The Flu Ever Has"
Shaker Elsayed: "Every year, Allah tests humanity with the flu, but this doesn't seem to be getting the message [across] and the attention, so this year, He is sending something like the flu, even with less damage than the flu, but it has created more fear than the flu ever has."
Allah Punished The Jews "For Devouring People's Money... These Are Some Of The Violations That Are Still Going On... Practiced By Every Nation And Every Society..."
"[Allah] tells us in the Al-Nisa chapter in the Quran... [that] because of the injustices of the people of the Jewish community, [He] made certain good things prohibited for them, because they turned away from the path of Allah.
[...]
"And, [the Jews] were taking interest, which is usury. They had [previously] been prohibited from taking interest, usury, and interest money from people.
[...]
"[They were also punished] for devouring people's money by wrong pretense.
[...]
"[The Quran says:] 'And We have prepared for those disobedient ones among them severe and painful torment.'
[...]
"These are some of the violations that are still going on, not only by the former minor community in the Jewish people – but now it is practiced by almost every nation and every society, with no exceptions."
"We Are Legalizing Abortion... Homosexuality... Usury. These Are All Abominations [In The Eyes] Of Allah... [COVID-19] Is A Wake-Up Call"
"Instead of correcting [things], we are legalizing what [Allah] prohibited. Which means we are protecting disobedience. We are legalizing abortion – we are legalizing abortion on demand, not abortion with legitimate reasons. We are legalizing homosexuality. We are legalizing usury. These are all abominations [in the eyes] of Allah.
[...]
"In the capitalist system, we are enslaving everybody. Everybody is now subject to the whims of the capitalists. Those who have it are controlling those who do not have it. Whether it is militarization, insurances, insurance companies, the healthcare system is crumbling as we see it...
[...]
"It is a wake-up call. It is Allah's reminder from Heaven to the whole Earth."
