Tim Walz has ties to Muslim cleric with antisemitic views, gave state funding to his group: report
Walz's administration reportedly donated $100,000 to Muslim cleric who praised Hitler
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has reported ties to a Muslim cleric who praised Adolf Hitler online and commended the Islamic terrorist group Hamas for the attacks against innocent Israelis on Oct. 7.
In the last few years, Imam Asad Zaman has used his Facebook page to share official Hamas press releases, blog posts from antisemitic sites and a 2015 link to a pro-Hitler film, "The Greatest Story Never Told." Released in 2013, the propaganda film is antisemitic and popular among fringe groups, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Walz’s administration has also donated over $100,000 to Zaman's group, Muslim American Society of Minnesota, according to state records reviewed by the Washington Examiner. Federal prosecutors have described the Muslim American Society as "founded as the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in the U.S.," according to court records, the outlet first reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ISRAEL ISSUES MESSAGE TO LEBANESE CITIZENS AMID REPORTS OF POTENTIAL PREEMPTIVE STRIKE ON HEZBOLLAH
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign event in Detroit on Wednesday. Vice President Kamala Harris and her newly selected running mate are campaigning across the country this week. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Designated a terrorist group by the United Arab Emirates in 2014, the Muslim group faced criticism in 2019 when a video emerged of children at a Philadelphia chapter event calling for Jews to be killed.
In reaction to Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., condemning the Oct. 7 attack a day later, Zaman asked if she would "reaffirm the right of Palestinians to defend themselves." Zaman's Muslim group in a statement on Oct. 7 declared it "reaffirms its unwavering support for the Palestinian people in their struggle against the Israeli occupation."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In May 2023, Zaman attended a mosque security meeting with Walz’s gubernatorial office.
EXPECT IRAN'S RESPONSE TO EXTEND BEYOND THE MIDDLE EAST: ROBERT GREENWAY
(Getty Images)
Social media posts reviewed by the Examiner also indicate Zaman participated in a Ramadan event hosted by Walz in May 2019. A recent Washington Free Beacon report also reported Walz’s appearance at a 2019 event with an antisemitic scholar who supports terrorism against Israel.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz waited several days to call in the National Guard as riots destroyed Minneapolis in 2020. (Getty Images)
Zaman, originally from Bangladesh, expressed solidarity with Palestinians for the Hamas-initiated Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israelis. He also shared a Palestinian flag image on Facebook in support of a post criticizing the Biden-Harris administration for its stance on Israel.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The imam reportedly participated in a May 2020 event with Walz to advocate for peaceful protests during the Black Lives Matter riots in Minnesota following George Floyd’s death. Previously, in April 2019, Zaman delivered an invocation at Walz’s state address and had called for an end to a government shutdown alongside Walz in January 2019, the Washington Examiner first reported.
The Harris-Walz campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment by press deadline.