The Detroit Metro Times published a puff-piece last week about a local resident named Iman Jasim, whom the journalist describes as an "Iraqi immigrant and a mother of six...a teacher, a humanitarian worker, and a wife." On the face of it, Jasim sounds wonderful. Since 2011, she has raised funds for orphans and refugees across the Middle East, making a number of trips to Iraq and Jordan. She has even written a charmingly-titled series of books, A Cup of Mint Tea, to fund her charitable work.
There's just one catch, which the newspaper chose to ignore. Iman Jasim (also known as Iman Abdallah al-Qaisi) really hates Jews.
Her Facebook account is littered with dozens of posts referring to Jewish wickedness and corruption. Using Hamas's Arabic social media hashtag "Qassam Resistance," Jasim declares: "Qassam resistance will prevail over the Jews." Elsewhere, she denounces "Jewish oppressors," promotes conspiracy theories that Mossad was behind the Paris terrorist attacks, and states the current Egyptian government is "worse than the Jews."
In addition, Jasim openly supports Hamas - she writes: "O Hamas, our movement ... Oh God, bring us together, under the Hamas flag." Another post shares text praising the effects of Hamas rockets.
A closer look at her charitable work also reveals some concerning links. The Metro Times article names two of the charities she works with: Islamic Relief and Helping Hand for Relief and Development.
Islamic Relief is an international charitable franchise, banned in the United Arab Emirates and Israel as a terrorist organization. It has a long history of links to extremism. Senior officials at Islamic Relief's U.S. branch include Yousef Abdallah, who refers to Jews as "stinking" and has shared a story romanticizing "martyrs" who provided guns to "kill more than 20 jews" and "fire rockets at Tel Aviv"; and chairman Khaled Lamada, who has circulated text praising the "jihad" of the "Mujahidin of Egypt" for "causing the Jews many defeats."
Helping Hand for Relief and Development, meanwhile, is part of a violent Islamist network named Jamaat-e-Islami. Helping Hand has openly partnered with a designated terrorist organization in Pakistan named the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation. Helping Hand's chairman, Mohsin Ansari, praises Islamist leaders who remain in power despite the "power brokers of the world, the liberal anti Muslim media headed by Jews."
At the end of its paean to Jasim, the Detroit Metro Times expressly tells readers to read this Hamas supporter's Facebook page "to see more of [her] work." As more of her work includes praise for killing Jews, perhaps, next time, the journalist should mention that as well.