The events at the Red Mosque in Pakistan and at the Ibn Taymiyya mosque in Gaza provide two important examples of how mosques which are run by charismatic imams and which function as centers for disseminating the Salafi-jihadi creed can quickly be transformed into a hub of violence. Evidence indicates that the Shihab Al-Din Mosque in Nazareth, Israel, has become just such a center; there, the Salafi-jihadi creed is propagated by the charismatic Imam Nazim Abu Salim, aka Abu Osama Al-Nasiri. So far, however, there has been no public evidence linking Abu Salim or his mosque to violent activities.
A question addressed recently to the shari'a committee of Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, the most influential Salafi-jihadi scholar today, inquired about the religious orientation of Sheikh Abu Osama Al-Nasiri and his Shihab Al-Din Mosque. The answer was unequivocal:...
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