What was that you were saying about integrating immigrants, New York Times?

“Toronto Imam: Muslims should hire only Muslims; do business only with Muslims,” by Jonathan D. Halevi, CIJ News, January 8, 2016 (thanks to Robert):

Shaykh Said Rageah (الشيخ سعيد راجح) was born in Somalia and in the late 80sn moved to North America. Rageah has a Bachelor’s in Islamic studies and a Masters in Shari’ah and he has had several posts over the years, including: founder of Masjid Huda in Montreal and Masjid Aya in Maryland, advisor for Muslim Youth magazine, and member in the Aqsa Association.

He is also the founder of both Muslim Magazine and Al Aqsa Association, and served as the Chaplain at both the University of Calgary and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). He served as an Imam at the Abu Hurairah Mosque in Toronto, the Chairman for the Journey of Faith Conference and as an instructor for the AlMaghrib Institute.

In a sermon delivered at Abu Hurairah Centre in Toronto (the video was uploaded to YouTube on February 8, 2009), Imam Rageah called on Canadian Muslims to unite and translate their demography into a political and economic power that is necessary to make the government allow Muslims to implement the Islamic Law (Sharia) in their communities and to change the foreign policy.

Rageah spoke in favour of following the example of the Sikh neighbourhood in Edmonton, Alberta, by bringing the Muslim community to live together in one area in which the authorities will not be able to make any decision without the approval of the Muslims.

He urges Muslims to hire only Muslim workers, to buy products or services only from Muslim-owned businesses and to avoid advertising with media outlets owned by kafir, meaning unbeliever or infidel. In this way, he maintained, Canadian Muslims can strengthen themselves and live according to Islam.

The following is a transcript of segments from Rageah’s sermon:

“With four, five [hundred] thousand Muslims you can create the most powerful lobby in Canada… with that number of Muslims you can create one of the strongest Muslim business in Toronto…

“If you just put our resources, if we put our resources together, if we can work together as an Ummah [Muslim nation] we can change a lot…

“As Muslims, we are scattered all over the city. You have people living in Brampton, you have people living in Mississauga, you have people living in Whitby, you have people living in Richmond Hill. Imagine if we all get together in one area.

“In the City of Edmonton, the Sikh, Sikh, they live in one neighbourhood and nothing can be changed or done without their approval. We here we may as well benefit from the system that they have here.

“What can you do with unity? A lot. You can change a lot. You can change the foreign policy of this country. You can change how the Muslims think. You can even when need help, when you need help you call Muslim for your need you will help the Muslim community…

“Brothers in the masjid [Mosque] right now, they are coming up with the magazine or newspaper called Ummah Times. What Ummah Times is that? Ummah Times is advertising all your businesses all the Muslim businesses [are] Ummah.

“All you need to do – I will never advertise with a kafir [unbeliever, infidel], there you go.

“I hear some advertisements giving to 680 News $5,000. Before your Muslim brothers $50 and $80 or $100 we think twice before we do it.

“Unless we work together, the day we need a truck driver we know where to find truck drivers.

“The day that I need a cab I should have a number of a Muslim cab it’s ok, pick me up.

“When I wan to see a doctor, only Muslim doctor.

“When I want to hire someone only Muslim worker.

“Then we can strengthen ourselves. This is the way and this is the only way we can exist in the society, living according to Islam.

“When the Sharia [Islamic Law], when the government of Toronto, Ontario gave us a break and said: deal your internal affairs based on your Sharia [Islamic Law] we did not go and say: Those few people are Ismailis and Ahmadis, they are not even Muslims. Why would they speak on behalf of Muslims. But, we say no, we keep quiet and see and watch what happens, and then the result was that they said… we will never allow you to rule yourselves, your internal affairs based on the Shariah…

“My brothers in faith [اخوتي في الله], anything that happens in your Muslim community, in the City of Toronto, anything that can be done, five hundred thousand Muslims that is a great number, large number, you can do a lot, work together. Let’s be an Ummah [nation]…

“Take your children to Islamic schools.

“Take your vehicle to Muslim owned business.

“If you buy a vehicle make sure there is a Muslim business or car dealer that sells cars.

“If you want to do anything just ask if that individual is a Muslim or not. If he is not, then look for a Muslim, because I’m sure you’ll find a Muslim. I’m sure you’ll find a Muslim in that field…

“O Allah, Raise the standing of Islam and the Muslims [اللهم اعز الاسلام والمسلمين], and humiliate the infidels and the polytheists.” [اذل الكفرة والمشركين]

Rageah visiting Sweden: refugees should spread Islam in hosting country

In his recent visit to Sweden, Rageah met with Muslim youths apparently sons and daughters of refugees from the Middle East who resettled with their families in a small Swedish village.

Rageah explained to the Muslim youths the obligation upon them to follow the teachings of Islam and also the importance of playing a leading role in introducing Islam to the local society in order to spread Islam in their new community.

The following are excerpts of Rageah’s speech (posted on YouTube on December 8, 2015):

“Why do you think Allah brought you here? Why do you think Allah brought your parents and they brought you here?

“Do you think because there was a civil war back home and they had nowhere else to go, and now all of the sudden they came to Sweden to this small village that I cannot even pronounce its name? Do you think they came here accidentally?

“No. It was designed by Almighty Allah. It was designed that you perhaps can be born and raised here, so you can carry the message of Islam to your own community, to the Swedish community, because maybe your father when he is speaking Swedish he has an accent, maybe your mother when she is speaking she has an accent. Maybe they don’t understand the culture of the people.

“Perhaps Allah brought you here so you can adapt, understand, analyze, read and learn the culture of the people and then in return you come back and give them the light of Islam…

“Unfortunately a lot of young ladies and a lot of young boys, or young men, they think they were brought here so they can have fun, they can listen to music, they can shovel the snow that their father never have seen before, they can make a snow man in front of their houses, they can slide down the hill. This is not the reason.

“The reason that Allah brought you here is so you can can carry the message of Islam to the people. Why? Because each one of us, Almighty Allah [said] call to the way of your Lord (ادعوا الى سبيل ربك ). So your responsibility is to call people to Allah.”…