Fallen Leaders Gallery 4
Fallen Leaders Gallery 4
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4. SHEIKH MUHAMMAD AL-GAMEI'A (Muslim)
Sheikh Muhammad Al-Gamei'a, former imam at the Islamic Cultural Center and Mosque in Manhattan (right), made anti-Semitic remarks after 9/11.
Offense: Considered to be a mainstream, westernized imam who actively participated in interfaith activities and preached a tolerant type of Islam, Al-Gamei'a was exposed as an anti-Semite immediately after 9/11. In 2001, in his home country of Egypt, Al-Gamei’a, gave an interview in which he said Jews were responsible for the 9/11 attacks and that Americans, if they knew the truth, would do the same to Jews that Hitler did to them in World War II.Consequence/Punishment: After his remarks were revealed to the world, his mosque fired him, and Al-Gamei'a stayed in Egypt. Little is known of him now. Effect on Community: Al-Gamei'a had previously commanded a huge following in Manhattan as the imam of the biggest, most modern, and most welcoming mosque in New York City. The Muslim community--already reeling from the terrorist attacks and their aftermath--was shocked and betrayed when they heard Al-Gamei’a’s anti-Semitic remarks. 
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