Democrat vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, as governor of Minnesota, has in recent years hosted Asad Zaman, a Muslim cleric who has faced criticism for celebrating the Hamas attack on Israel last year and promoting a film glorifying Adolf Hitler, according to reports Friday.
Zaman, executive director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, joined with Muslim leaders last May to speak with Walz's office in Minnesota about mosque security, reported the Washington Examiner Friday.
He also spoke at an event in May 2020, calling with Walz for peaceful protests as riots raged in Minnesota after the death of George Floyd, and gave an invocation before Walz's state address in April 2019, four months after joining Walz at a press conference to call for an end to a government shutdown.
In May 2019, the cleric attended an event Walz hosted for Ramadan.
Minnesota has had a significant Muslim presence for years. According to World Population Review, an estimated 114,590 Muslims live in Minnesota, making up 2% of the state's population.
Newsmax has reached out to Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris' campaign for comment.
Zaman is originally from Bangladesh. Last Oct. 7, after Hamas attacked Israel, the imam said that he "stands in solidarity with Palestinians against Israeli attacks."
He also shared an image of a Palestinian flag on his Facebook page while responding to a post by Yusuf Abdi Abdulle, director of the Islamic Association of North America who declared that "Palestine has the right to defend itself."
Zaman often shares posts about the war in Gaza through his Facebook page, as well as posts from antisemitic websites criticizing Jewish people.
In 2015, the Examiner reported, he shared a link for a pro-Hitler film that had been released in 2013. The movie, "The Greatest Story Never Told," was released in 2013. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the film is a favorite among antisemites and QAnon conspiracy theorists.
An ADL spokesperson commented that Zaman has a "troubling history of playing into classic anti-Jewish themes and justifying violence against Israel."
The imam, the spokesperson added, has also justified violence against Israel, including from terror groups.
"We urge all public officials and leaders to avoid meeting with him in the future," the ADL spokesperson said. "Those who have met with Imam Zaman should clarify that they don't agree with his toxic views about Jews and the Jewish state."
Meanwhile, Zaman's organization, the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, said in a statement last year that it "reaffirms its unwavering support for the Palestinian people in their struggle against the Israeli occupation."
The Examiner further reported that state records that were reviewed show that under Walz's administration, more than $100,000 in funding has been awarded to the Minnesota Muslim group.
Meanwhile, Sam Westrop, a terrorism researcher and analyst at the Middle East Forum think tank, claimed that Walz's ties with Zaman show that anti-Israel extremists could get a platform if Harris wins the presidential race.
The report comes as Harris' campaign Thursday denied claims from a pro-Palestinian organization that suggested that she's open to discussing an arms embargo against Israel.
Harris national security adviser Phil Gordon posted on social media that she "has been clear: she will always ensure that Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups. She does not support an arms embargo on Israel. She will continue to work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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