New Islamic Center imam Ahmed Alzaree resigns (before first day!)

Cleveland Plain Dealer ^ | October 29, 2007 | David Briggs

[Right Wing Assault]

The new spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of Cleveland has quit before he worked a single day.

Imam Ahmed Alzaree announced Monday, three days before he was to begin the job, that he was resigning.

Alzaree said allegations by bloggers that he was anti-Semitic and had associated with an individual suspected of having terrorist ties so poisoned the atmosphere in Northeast Ohio that he and his wife, Marwa, decided to look elsewhere.

"Cleveland now is a nightmare for her," Alzaree said. "It will never be a good start for me and the Jewish community."

Zahid Siddiqi, general secretary of the mosque, said the Islamic Center would accept Alzaree's resignation. "We certainly don't want to impose on him and his family," Siddiqi said Monday afternoon.

Alzaree, 38, the former spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of Omaha, was to be the mosque's first permanent imam since Fawaz Damra. Damra was deported to the Middle East in January on charges that he falsified his citizenship application by failing to disclose ties to extremist groups.

[Right Wing Assault]

Good. His background was put out front, so his plans were doomed. Thank you, truth squad.

[agrace]

But no sooner did the mosque announce his hiring than bloggers posted part of a 2003 "end times" sermon in which Alzaree quoted the Prophet Muhammad saying one sign of the approach of the Day of Judgment is that "the Muslims will kill the Jews." Bloggers also reported that Wagdy Ghoneim, a controversial cleric, spoke at the Omaha mosque.

Drat that new media. Cleveland ping, LG.

[NeoCaveman]

2 bloggers did a heck of a job. Tom at Bizzyblog.com and COTA, Central Ohioans Against Terrorism. Kudos to both of them.

[Turret Gunner A20]

Why is that $@&^*(% still in this country?

[camerakid400]

Here’s another one for ya:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/018733.php#comments