An arrest warrant has been issued for an imam who made several anti-Semitic statements during a sermon at a Montreal mosque last December.
Sheikh Muhammad ibn Musa Al Nasr called Jews “the worst of mankind” and expressed his hope that Muslims would slaughter them on Judgment Day, according to a statement by B’nai Brith.
Al Nasr, a Palestinian-Jordanian imam, is facing a charge of wilful promotion of hatred following an investigation by the Montreal police’s hate crimes unit. Officials with B’nai Brith lodged a complaint with the unit after learning about the speech, which was made at the Dar al-Arkam mosque in St-Michel.
An official with B’nai Brith said he hopes the charge will deter future threats and assaults on the Jewish community in Canada.
“Today, the Jewish community of Montreal can sleep safer, knowing that there is a price to pay for inciting violence against our community,” said Michael Mostyn, chief executive officer of B’nai Brith Canada. “This incident and others like it demonstrate that anti-Semitism, especially in the guise of religion, remains a serious problem in Canada today.”
Al Nasr’s whereabouts are unknown, but B’nai Brith suspects he may be in Jordan and is calling for his extradition. Several Muslim groups have condemned the speech.
The Dar al-Arkam Mosque has yet to apologize for the speech and the original Arabic version of the sermon remains posted to the mosque’s YouTube channel, according to B’nai Brith.
The warrant for Al Nasr’s arrest comes on the heels of an investigation into a rapper known as Madd Cold, who is being investigated for inciting violence against the Jewish community following a complaint by B’nai Brith.