Canadian Imams depict Jews or Israeli Jews as descendants of pigs and apes. This degrading depiction is based on the Quran and Islamic narrations attributed to Mohammad that explain that the Children of Israel were transformed to pigs and apes as a punishment for their disobedience. Muslim scholars rule that this punishment can apply also to non-Jewish sinners.

On May 11, 2016, Mazin AbdulAdhim, a Muslim scholar and a prominent leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir Canada, shared on Facebook a video titled “Jews tell the TRUTH about the ‘Holocaust’.” The video starts with this statement: “Spielberg USC survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation contains over 50,000 videos testimonies. Out of 50,000 testimonies the Shoah Foundation hand-picked a bunch of hate filled liars, Zionists for their documentary.” It features edited testimonies of Holocaust survivors in order to challenge the common narrative about the life in the ghettos and concentration camps under Nazi rule.

Referring to the video Mazin AbdulAdhim stated: “Wow, those are some pretty interesting eyewitness accounts.”

In response to comments on his Facebook post, Mazin AbdulAdhim stated:

I’s not about denying it [Holocaust], but this is surprising information to me since it is coming directly from Auschwitz prisoners. The value is that we know this information, and to hell with the sons of pigs and monkeys if they want to scare us from speaking about these details. Tha’s [pigs and monkeys] what I call the likes of Netenyahu, yes. He is much worse than that [pigs and monkeys]. ’m trying to be nice actually. There are many others who are peers to Netenyahu, such as Bush Jr, Stalin, Mao, the British and French who committed genocide against the natives of North America, and countless others. The Quran says “God does not love the evildoers.” Just because God created them does’t mean they are guaranteed His love no matter what merciless crimes they commit.

… The Quran teaches us to love what God loves and to hate what God hates, and yes God hates evil, evildoers, and oppressors, and therefore God hates the Zionists and their occupation of Palestine (and all similar racist, colonial, genocidal criminals that the world has seen). We will bury the hatchet once we have restored Palestine completely to the people of Palestine. There cannot and will not ever be any negotiation on that, because it is a commandment in Islam.

…I’m actually referring to the verse in the Quran, in chapter 5, verses 59-60: “Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, do you resent us except [for the fact] that we have believed in Allah and what was revealed to us and what was revealed before and because most of you are defiantly disobedient’ Say, ‘Shall I inform you of [what is] worse that as recompense from Allah? [It is that of] those whom Allah has cursed and with whom He became angry and made of them apes and pigs and slaves of other than Allah. Those are worse in position and further astray from the sound way’”1

To understand the context of Mazin AbdulAdhi’s statements click here.2

In his commentary of the Quranic verse (2:65) “And you had already known about those who transgressed among you concerning the sabbath, and We said to them, ‘Be apes, despised’” Hussein Amer,3 a member of Conseil des Imams Québec (Quebec Council of Imams), said that Allah punished the Children of Israel by transforming them to apes and pigs because they committed a major sin or did nothing to prevent it. Only those who warned of committing the sin were saved from being punished. According to Amer, the sinners survived only three days in their new form as animals before dying without leaving behind offspring.4

On July 1, 2014, Mostafa Saad Hannout, an Imam at Masjid Toronto mosque, posted on his Facebook page (originally in Arabic, accessed August 9, 2017):5

O Allah, [show] your kindness to our brothers in Gaza O Allah, give them victory [help] over Your enemy and their enemy O Allah, destroy [take revenge against] the grandchildren [descendants] of the apes and pigs

The context of Hannout’s prayer to Allah indicates that the term “the grandchildren [descendants] of the apes and pigs” is referring to Jews, or Israeli Jews.

Mostafa Saad Hannout liked (accessed February 19, 2017)6 on his YouTube channel a video clip titled “A rare recitation of [the Quran by] Shiek Osama Bin Laden that will make you cry, O Abdullah [slave/ servant of Allah].”

The voice of Osama Bin laden, the former leader of Al-Qaeda, is heard reciting selected verses from the Quran while featuring on the background pictures of Bin Laden including pictures of him armed with a combat rifle and the 9/11 attacks. Bin Laden recited the following verses of the Quran:7

Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while Allah has not yet made evident those of you who fight in His cause and made evident those who are steadfast? * And you had certainly wished for martyrdom before you encountered it, and you have [now] seen it [before you] while you were looking on. * Muhammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him. (Quran 3:142-144) And of His signs is your sleep by night and day and your seeking of His bounty. Indeed in that are signs for a people who listen. * And of His signs is that the heaven and earth remain by His command. Then when He calls you with a [single] call from the earth, immediately you will come forth. (Quran 30:23, 30:25) In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. * [All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds – * The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, * Sovereign of the Day of Recompense. * It is You we worship and You we ask for help.* Guide us to the straight path – * The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray. (Quran 1:1-7)

According to Quranic exegesis and leading Canadian Muslim scholars, the verse “those who have evoked [Your] anger” refers to the Jews who knew the truth, meaning the message of Islam, but rejected it, and therefore they were cursed by Allah.8

In his commentary to the first chapter of the Quran “The Opening” (Al-Fatiha), Osman Haji,9 Imam of the Sahaba Masjid mosque in Edmonton, Alberta said:10

Who are those who earned the wrath of Allah?… They are the Jews… Those who were cursed by Allah. Allah was angry at them and turned them into monkeys and pigs.

The Saudi scholar Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, whose website https://islamqa.info/ is popular in Canada, explains why Allah turns “some of the Children of Israel” into pigs and apes and how this term is related to the Quranic verse “those who have evoked [Your] anger.” According to Al-Munajjid:

This transformation was a punishment from Allaah to them for their doing that which Allah had forbidden to them. This punishment was not exclusively for the Children of Israel

The Islamic narrations attributed to Mohammad indicate that such transformations will happen in as a punishment for some sins

These monkeys and pigs that exist nowadays are not the people from the earlier nations who were transformed, because Allah does not enable those who have been transformed to have offspring, rather He causes them to die after being transformed, so they have no offspring

To better understand the what the Islamic sources say in this regard here is the text of Muhammed Salih Al-Munajji’s explanation:11

Praise be to Allaah. Maskh (transformation) refers to the changing of a person’s exterior appearance. Allaah has told us in more than one place in the Qur’aan that He transformed some of the Children of Israel into monkeys as a punishment for their disobedience towards Allaah. Allaah says, addressing the Children of Israel (interpretation of the meaning): And indeed you knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath (i.e. Saturday). We said to them: “Be you monkeys, despised and rejected.” So We made this punishment an example to their own and to succeeding generations and a lesson to those who are Al-Muttaqoon (the pious) [al-Baqarah 2:65-66] And Allaah tells us their story in more detail in Soorat al-A’raaf, where He says (interpretation of the meaning): And ask them (O Muhammad) about the town that was by the sea; when they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath (i.e. Saturday): when their fish came to them openly on the Sabbath day, and did not come to them on the day they had no Sabbath. Thus We made a trial of them, for they used to rebel against Allaah’s Command (disobey Allaah) And when a community among them said: ‘Why do you preach to a people whom Allaah is about to destroy or to punish with a severe torment?’ (The preachers) said: ‘In order to be free from guilt before your Lord (Allaah), and perhaps they may fear Allaah.’ So when they forgot the reminders that had been given to them, We rescued those who forbade evil, but with a severe torment We seized those who did wrong because they used to rebel against Allaah’s Command (disobey Allaah). So when they exceeded the limits of what they were prohibited, We said to them: “Be you monkeys, despised and rejected” [al-A’raaf 7:163-166] And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): Say: “O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Do you criticize us for no other reason than that we believe in Allaah, and in (the Revelation) which has been sent down to us and in that which has been sent down before (us), and that most of you are Faasiqoon [rebellious and disobedient (to Allaah)]?” Say (O Muhammad to the people of the Scripture): ”Shall I inform you of something worse than that, regarding the recompense from Allaah: those (Jews) who incurred the Curse of Allaah and His Wrath, and those of whom (some) He transformed into monkeys and swines, and those who worshipped Taaghoot (false deities); such are worse in rank (on the Day of Resurrection in the Hell-fire), and far more astray from the Right Path (in the life of this world)” [al-Maa’idah 5:59-60] This transformation was a punishment from Allaah to them for their doing that which Allaah had forbidden to them. This punishment was not exclusively for the Children of Israel, rather the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that the Hour will not begin until such transformation happens among this ummah too. He issued this warning to those who disbelieve in the divine decree (al-qadr), and those who drink alcohol and listen to singing – we seek refuge with Allaah from that. Ibn Maajah (4059) narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Shortly before the Hour begins, people will be transformed into monkeys and pigs, swallowed up in the earth, and pelted with stones.” (Saheeh Ibn Maajah, 3280). Being swallowed up in the earth means that the earth will split open and swallow up a person, house or city, just as Allaah caused the earth to swallow Qaaroon and his household. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning); “So We caused the earth to swallow him” [al-Qasas 28:81] Pelting with stones is the same as Allaah did to the people of Loot. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “and rained down on them stones of baked clay” [al-Hijr 15:74] Al-Tirmidhi (2152) narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘Among this ummah those who disbelieve in the divine decree (al-qadr) will be swallowed up by the earth, transformed into monkeys and pigs or pelted with stones.” (Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 1748). And al-Tirmidhi (2212) narrated from ‘Imraan ibn Husayn that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Among this ummah, people will be transformed into monkeys and pigs, swallowed up in the earth, and pelted with stones.” A man among the Muslims said, “O Messenger of Allaah, when will that be?” He said, “When singing-girls and musical instruments become widespread and wine is drunk.” (Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 1802). These ahaadeeth indicate that such transformations will happen in this ummah as a punishment for some sins. So let the Muslim beware of doing anything that Allaah has forbidden. Woe be to the one who provokes the anger, wrath and vengeance of Allaah. May Allaah keep us all safe from the things that incur His punishment. But these monkeys and pigs that exist nowadays are not the people from the earlier nations who were transformed, because Allaah does not enable those who have been transformed to have offspring, rather He causes them to die after being transformed, so they have no offspring. Muslim (2663) narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: “A man said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, are the monkeys and pigs those who have been transformed?’ The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Allaah does not enable those who have been transformed to have offspring or children. The monkeys and pigs existed before that.’” al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The Prophet’s words ‘The monkeys and pigs existed before that’ means that they existed before the Children of Israel were transformed, which indicates that they are not from among those who were transformed.” And Allaah knows best. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and grant him peace.

Mostafa Saad Hannout did not respond to a media inquiry that was sent to him on February 21 and February 25, 2019. The media inquiry included the following questions:

Why did you call them (Israeli Jews) “the grandchildren [descendants] of the apes and pigs” and Allah’s “enemy”?

Why did you like on your YouTube channel a video clip featuring Osama Bin Laden reciting the above-mentioned verses from the Quran and showing pictures of 9/11 and Bin Laden armed with a combat rifle?

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Notes