Italy: Jihadist Imam in Bologna

The below article from Il Tempo (Italy) is translated by Fousesquawk and concerns a Pakistani imam in Bologna named Zulfiqar Khan, who calls for jihad against Israel and America. Two politicians from the conservative party of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Fratelli d’Italia, have raised the issue and would like to see the interior minister take action to remove Khan from Italy.

I’ll drink to that.

https://www.iltempo.it/attualita/2024/06/13/news/zulfiqar-khan-imam-bologna-islam-estremismo-jihad-hamas-hezbollah-israele-39606032/

Islam: The imam of Bologna who calls for jihad: “We are extremists”

By Christian Campigli

June 13, 2024

A new case. (One) which is causing discussion and which underlines how the war in the Middle East has opened Pandora’s box. Episodes that underline how the plague of Islamic extremism, even in Italy, is taking on truly alarming proportions. The last unfortunate incident comes from Bologna. The city imam, Pakistani Zulfiqar Khan, spiritual leader of the Iqraa Islamic Center, has repeatedly focused his sermons on political themes. Urging his faithful, in no uncertain terms, to follow the dictates of the holy war. “That punishment we are waiting for comes from Allah, with the hands of Hamas and Hezbollah,” he said boldly. But there’s more. The cleric added that “if someone says to me you are an Islamic extremist, I say yes because extremism means following the fundamentals.” Messages that are anything but enigmatic, (but) simple and easy to understand.

(It is) a situation which is creating a lot of tension in the Emilian capital. It is no coincidence that Senator Marco Lisei and Deputy Sara Kelany, both from Fratelli d’Italia, introduced an inquiry to make the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, aware of the situation, urging “possible measures to remove the imam from the national territory.”  Zulfiqar Khan has his own Facebook page, on which he posts videos and sermons. “Those who side with Israel and America will come to a bad end,” he argued in February. In April he directly called for the Hamas leader to continue “carrying out jihad against these liars, these murderers,” that is, Israel and the USA.

But the imam also hates homosexuals. On June 3 he defined them as “a group that Allah will punish with a very strong punishment”. Joe Biden and Netanyahu are the “two horns of Satan, the world leaders take the liquid from the eyes of children to have an extra year or two of life. It is the satanic biology of Biden, of Netanyahu.” Delusional, but dangerous words- which should not be underestimated. “The government is very attentive to the safety of citizens which represents an absolute priority,” emphasized Senator Lisei. “A person who makes certain statements represents a danger to our values. Italy is welcoming to those who come to contribute to the growth of the country, but must be inflexible with foreign citizens who do not respect our laws.”