UK: Kuwaiti Muslim preacher embarks on a nationwide tour after invoking Allah to "punish the Zionists"

Image: Jihad Watch

An Islamic charity has faced criticism for supporting a controversial preacher currently on a speaking tour in the UK.

Sheikh Mishary Alafasy, a Kuwaiti imam, called for divine retribution against "Zionists" following the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people.

Alafasy has previously made inflammatory remarks, accusing Jews of "treachery" and claiming that their inherent traits included a desire to start wars.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) condemned such rhetoric, asserting that it has no place in the UK. The group raised concerns about the support given to Alafasy by the al Mustafa Welfare Trust, a UK-registered charity based in west London.

The trust, which states that its mission is inspired by Islam to support vulnerable communities, is promoting Alafasy's events on its website. These include two recent talks in London and Birmingham, with another scheduled in Manchester this Sunday. The events are part of the trust's Gaza fundraising efforts.

The trust has described Alafasy as “one of the world’s most renowned Quranic reciters and nasheed artists,” referring to a genre of Islamic music.

The CAA announced it would be writing to the Charity Commission to lodge a formal complaint. A spokesman expressed disbelief that the charity would support someone like Alafasy for a national speaking tour, which they say could distress the Jewish community.

In a post on October 10, just days after the Hamas attacks, Alafasy wrote on X in Arabic: "God punish the Zionists and instil terror into their hearts and contradict their words, and send down upon them your wrath and punishment."

In a 2020 post, on the day the Abraham Accords were signed between Israel and several Muslim-majority countries, he wrote: “There is no utility in normalisation… with the treachery of the Jews.” In 2011, he posted about the "characteristics of the Jews," claiming they were eager to incite wars and corruption.

The CAA also intends to write to the Home Office to inquire about how Alafasy received a visa to enter the UK.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)