On Friday, September 21, 2020, Sheikh Yahya Al-Farghali, an Islamic scholar who belongs to Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, delivered a sermon in Idlib, Syria. Referring to a Quranic story in which Allah transforms a group of Israelites into apes because they failed to properly observe the Sabbath, Sheikh Al-Farghali said that Allah has similarly caused world leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi, and Russian President Vladimir Putin to look like pigs, donkeys, apes, and dogs because of their sinfulness, deceitfulness, and greed. Sheikh Al-Farghali added that elderly Shiites also look like pigs. The sermon was posted on Al-Farghali's social media.
Yahya Al-Farghali: "[Allah said:] 'We said to [the Israelites]: Be apes, despised and rejected.' Allah transformed [the Israelites who did not observe the Sabbath] into apes.
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"This punishment is not limited to the Israelites.
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"Look at Trump, the American. Allah has transformed him to made him look like a pig, because he is a decadent who allows the honor of his womenfolk to be violated. Look at Bashar [Al-Assad] of Syria. Allah has transformed him and made him look like a donkey, because he is a riding animal for sinners and infidels, and also because he is so dull-headed. Look at Al-Sisi of Egypt. Allah has transformed him and made him look like an ape, because he is so deceitful and debased. Look at Putin of Russia. Allah has transformed him and made him look like a dog, because of his greed and gluttony.
"The evil scholars within the Islamic nation have also been transformed into looking like dogs. Ibn Taymiyyah said that when Rafidites approach the end of their lives, having spent so much time cursing the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, their faces become pig-like. Look at pictures of the elderly [Shi'ites]. Allah transformed them into looking like pigs."