On a Friday sermon in the Brooklyn Oulel-Albab Mosque, Imam Tareq Yousef Al-Masri spoke about the terror attacks in Paris, and said that Muslims are like time bombs. He further said that Muslims should admit that they hate Christians. Imam Al-Masri explained that Wahhabi ideology is responsible for instilling hatred in the hearts of Muslims, which leads to terrorism worldwide.

Following are excerpts from the sermon, which was posted on the Internet on January 9, 2015.

Tareq Yousef Al-Masri: The crisis in France casts its shadow upon us. The two brothers who stormed the offices of the [Charlie Hebdo] magazine, which published offensive cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, and affronted the Muslims, just as it affronts others... This is a satirical magazine, which is well known as such. This magazine knows no limits when it comes to freedom of speech.

It is peculiar that two years ago, during the Boston [marathon], it was two brothers, of Chechen origin, and now, we have two brothers – of Algerian origin, I think. What’s the story with brothers? What’s the story with that all-destructive ideology?

Let us admit, without lying to ourselves, that we, the Muslims, are time bombs. When I say “we, the Muslims,” I do not mean every single Muslim, but Muslims of the religious sector are time bombs. When a sinner repents, the first thing he does is make a bomb. He blows it up and kills people.

We must admit this. We cannot become immune if we do not admit this. If you have cancer, it won’t help you if I tell you that you have the flu. I must tell you that you clearly have cancer. When someone has cancer, they run a series of tests, in order to identify the cause of this cancer. They don’t just say that this cancer is an act of God. Everything comes from Allah, but this should not prevent us from studying the underlying reasons for this cancer.

Let us admit something else. The majority of us Muslims hate the Christians – true or false? Yes, that is the truth.

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When you see how many people oppose [congratulating Christians on their holidays], you have to admit that deep-rooted hatred dwells in the hearts of Muslims. Someone might say to me: “Do you think they love us? They hate us too.” What do you care what others do? Just because there are thieves, would you become a thief too? In that case, all people would be thieves.

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Who instilled so much hatred in these generations? It is the ideology present in the books – the ideology of Ibn Taymiyyah, of Ibn Al-Qayyam, of Al-Nawawi. These are the pillars of this ideology. In modern times, we have Ibn Baz, Ibn Al-Uthaymeen, Al-Huweini, Muhammad Hassan... These people are responsible for instilling hatred in human beings.

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Christians sometimes cite the Quranic verses used by these thugs, those [Salafi] scholars who have corrupted the nation of Muhammad, and who have buried our good reputation in the ground. I’ve just mentioned their names – from the past and from the present.

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When we tell people that it is forbidden to wish a Christian “Merry Christmas,” does this not lay the foundation for terrorism? This is how you condition yourself to feel hatred.

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The truth of the Quran has been distorted by scholars who corrupt the youth. Those killers [in France] are the victims of Ibn Taymiyyah, of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, of Ibn Al-Qayyim, of Al-Nawawi, of Al-Huweini, of Ibn Baz, of Ibn Al-Uthaymeen, of Muhammad Hassan. By Allah, these are wretched victims, who believe that they are worshipping Allah by killing people.

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[These scholars consider] any Quranic verse of moral value to have been abrogated. They consider any verse that calls to treat people with kindness to have been abrogated. All that remains valid is: Kill! Slaughter! Is that the only thing that God tells us?!

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They have made the Muslims hate everyone – the Christians, the Jews, the atheists, and all human beings. Why did God say: “We made peoples and tribes that you may know one another”? How can you get to know other people if you hate them?! How can you maintain a relationship with them? Oh you who believe that truth is on your side, show me what “merchandise” you are selling. It amounts to nothing but killing and accusing others of heresy and polytheism. It is all bad. What have you contributed to human civilization? Nothing! Then you try to claim that you are the best among people, and that you will go to Paradise while everybody else will go to the Hellfire.

I am ashamed of the rotten and despicable conduct of the Muslims. Today, the Muslims stand up in mosques and wash their hands of these two brothers – or of the two brothers from the Boston bombings – but is this enough? No. Oh servants of Allah, do not hate people! Love people. Get closer to them. Do you want to invite other people to join Islam, while you hate them and curse them day and night?!

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In my fatwas, I said that we should wish the Christians happy holidays. I wrote that Allah said: “And speak to the people good.” Would you believe that some Wahhabi on Facebook said that this verse referred to the Jews and the Israelites?! In other words, they are supposed “to speak to people good,” while we are supposed to treat people like trash...

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Anyone claiming that we are not allowed to wish the Christians happy holidays has prepared the killers in France, Boston, in Iraq, in Syria, in Egypt…These people constitute the fertile ground for terrorism, which they present as the religion of Allah, conveyed to the Prophet Muhammad, while Islam has nothing to do with them.

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