During his August 2, 2024 Friday sermon in Pullman, Washington, following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, imam Raed Alsawaier said that Israel labels anyone who objects to it a "terrorist" in order to assassinate them wherever they may be. He asked if the leaders of the American War of Independence could be called "terrorists." Alsawaier supplicated to Allah, praying: "Oh Allah, annihilate the plundering Zionists, count them one by one, scatter them, and do not spare a single one of them." The sermon was streamed live on the YouTube channel of the Pullman Islamic Center.
Raed Alsawaier: "This Zionist state can label anyone as a terrorist if they are objecting to them, or they are against them, and they can assassinate them anywhere that person is.
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"This is called state terror, I mean what the Zionists, the state of Israel, is doing, what those Zionist people are doing is terror on a state level.
[...]
"This state is practicing oppression and terrorism on a state level, and killing anyone they want, anywhere that a Muslim is, in the name of defending themselves. Imagine if we came to U.S. history, when the United States was not the United States yet, when the Americans who were trying to establish the country were fighting against the French in Louisiana and in some other places the Spanish, and when they fought the last battle with the British, can we call them 'terrorists'? Can we call the American leaders who fought in the Independence War 'terrorists'?
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"Oh Allah, stand by our brothers in Gaza and support them. Oh Allah, support them, and do not support those who are against them. Oh Allah, have mercy on the weak among them, mend their fractures, Oh Allah, accept their martyrs, heal the wounded among them. Oh Allah, cure the ill among them and cover the naked among them. Oh Allah, stand by them, on Lord of the Universe. Oh Allah, annihilate the plundering Zionists. Oh Allah, count them one by one, scatter them, do not spare a single one of them. Oh Allah, relieve us from them and bring tragedy upon them, oh Lord of the Universe."
Raed Alsawaier: "This Zionist state can label anyone as a terrorist if they are objecting to them, or they are against them, and they can assassinate them anywhere that person is.
[...]
"This is called state terror, I mean what the Zionists, the state of Israel, is doing, what those Zionist people are doing is terror on a state level.
[...]
"This state is practicing oppression and terrorism on a state level, and killing anyone they want, anywhere that a Muslim is, in the name of defending themselves. Imagine if we came to U.S. history, when the United States was not the United States yet, when the Americans who were trying to establish the country were fighting against the French in Louisiana and in some other places the Spanish, and when they fought the last battle with the British, can we call them 'terrorists'? Can we call the American leaders who fought in the Independence War 'terrorists'?
[...]
"Oh Allah, stand by our brothers in Gaza and support them. Oh Allah, support them, and do not support those who are against them. Oh Allah, have mercy on the weak among them, mend their fractures, Oh Allah, accept their martyrs, heal the wounded among them. Oh Allah, cure the ill among them and cover the naked among them. Oh Allah, stand by them, on Lord of the Universe. Oh Allah, annihilate the plundering Zionists. Oh Allah, count them one by one, scatter them, do not spare a single one of them. Oh Allah, relieve us from them and bring tragedy upon them, oh Lord of the Universe."
