California Imam Ahmed Radwan said during a Friday, August 16, 2024 sermon that was livestreamed on the YouTube channel of the Islamic Society of Corona/Norco (ISCN) that Muslims must stay as far away as possible from the LGBTQ+ community, that they are like gum in hair that can only be removed by cutting it off, that they are the "people of Lot" and that they are "stronger than ever" because of the media and the internet. He also warned against allowing them to participate in pro-Palestine rallies, asserting that they are only doing this so that Muslims will stand alongside them in advancing their own interests.
Ahmed Radwan: "We need to stay as far [away] as we can from these people, my dear brothers and sisters. These people are coming back, and they're already back and stronger than ever. And who are they? LGBT+. Those are back. The people of Lot are back on Planet Earth, and [they're] stronger than ever because of the media, this issue of the internet, the technology that we have now, and it's just like gum in the hair – you cannot remove it, you have to cut it off. And Lot was sent for that mission. He could not do it, Allah had to intervene to take care of them, my dear brothers and sisters. So I'm here to wake you up.
"When we have a rally to support Palestine, we don't want these people to stand with us shoulder to shoulder. They act like they really care about us, and actually they are helping themselves – this way you can stand along with them when they need you. They act like they are the oppressed ones, but actually they are not. Actually, they are the oppressors.
"So we need to stay, my dear brothers and sisters, as far as we can. We cannot associate ourselves with them because otherwise... Look at what happened to the Prophet Lot, [his wife] was also punished for supporting them, helping them, feeling sorry for them. So make sure we learn from this."