Controversial Iman Younus Kathrada has stirred up controversy following a public sermon in Victoria many regarded as anti-Semitic..“The enmity of the Jews towards the believers is unjust, whereas the enmity of the believers towards the Jews is just and sensible,” said Kathrada..“If you do not hate the opponents of Allah, you have no faith. Having said that, once again, we do not, we have not ever, called towards violence towards others.”.Kathrada concluded his sermon with a request for Allah to destroy his enemies..The sermon was greeted with disgust by many..“He was removed from Victoria in the past and came back, and from what I understand he teaches a lot of poison,” Rabbi Harry Brechner, Congregation Emanu-EL told the Western Standard..“He’s not part of the mainstream Muslim Sunni community. He’s not part of who they are. There is a close relationship between the mosque and my synagogue and he is not emblematic of Victoria at all.”.Kathrada – who leads an organization called Muslim Youth of Victoria – is well acquainted with controversy. He made headlines in 2020 when referring to the French teacher Samuel Paty, who was beheaded near Paris as a “a cursed, evil spirited, filthy excuse of a human being.”.“It’s not just one individual in Victoria, but across Canada and across the world that we have people spreading hate,” said Rabbi Meir Kaplan, Chabad of Vancouver Island, in an interview..“Our society needs to be aware that this is a real problem. I am not talking about only this one person. It doesn’t only come from radical Islam, but other elements in our society..“In a time when there is a tension in Israel and Gaza, people will use this to promote hate and unfortunately people are falling for it. I believe there is an obligation on a government level… federal, provincial, and obviously on an individual level to make sure people are educated and understand these hateful messages..“Just a few months ago there was graffiti here in the centre that said ‘Kill Jews.’”.A senior member of the BC Muslim Association told the Western Standard they have not spoken with Kathrada in over 15 years, and thus do not feel it is fair to comment, however the BC Muslim Association states they condemn all forms of extremism..Kathrada told the Western Standard he has no comment..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.,.rsmall@westernstandardonline.com
