Jerrod Sessler, a Navy veteran and former NASCAR driver, is running against incumbent Republican Congressman Dan Newhouse in Washington’s 4th District, which Newhouse has represented since 2015.

In an interview with the Yakima Herald-Republic, Sessler said: “There is no way that a devout Muslim should be in Congress, because they can’t take the oath of office. Their fundamental belief system is anti-American.”

The congressional candidate also cited passages in the Quran that call for nonbelievers to be killed. Many Muslims say the passages are often misinterpreted. Sessler also said that a majority Muslim Congress would threaten the security of the Constitution.

“What if the majority of Congress was Muslim?” Sessler told the Yakima Herald-Republic. “How safe and secure would our Constitution be? It wouldn’t be.”

Sessler told the Yakima Herald-Republic that, his own views aside, if elected he would engage with and be respectful of Muslim representatives in Congress.

He also told the paper that Muslims are welcome in America and that he supports Muslim Americans ascending to leadership positions, just not in Congress.

On social media, the Republican later defended his remarks.

In a comment on X, formerly Twitter, Sessler wrote: “As divisive as it is in America, Muslims may legally take the oath of office. Some even place their hand on the Quran which unequivocally calls for the killing of anyone that is not Muslim.

“It is nonsensical for people who love and appreciate all that it is to be American to vote for a Muslim, especially a radical one. Just because it is legal doesn’t mean it is helpful to the country, to our kids or to our future.”

This is not the first time Sessler has made such remarks. During the Washington primary in August, he argued that Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar could not uphold the constitution because she was a devout Muslim.

“Muslims cannot uphold the Constitution. It goes against their religious beliefs,” Sessler said, adding, “Shame on her voters for putting her there if they actually believe in America.”

There are three Muslim Americans in Congress: Omar, Indiana Representative André Carson and Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib.

Who Is Jerrod Sessler?

In addition to being a Navy veteran, Sessler is a former business owner and engineer. In 2004, he founded a maintenance company called HomeTask, Inc., but he has campaigned full time since his first political bid in 2021.

On his campaign website, Sessler described his “difficult and impoverished childhood” and positioned himself as “the poster child for the American dream.” If elected, his promises to defend the American dream, protect constitutional rights and national security, and be a voice for the country’s future. He is also committed to defending Second Amendment rights.

Sessler first ran against Newhouse in 2022, but he did not advance past the primaries. A Trump supporter, Sessler was in Washington, D.C., on January 6. However, he did not enter the Capitol. The former president has endorsed Sessler over Newhouse, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the January 6 Capitol riot.

Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaign via email to ask whether the former president endorses Sessler’s opinions on Muslims in Congress.

In April, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Jerrod Sessler is a fantastic candidate and will be a GREAT Congressman for Washington State’s 4th Congressional district. A Navy Veteran, Entrepreneur, Loving Father and Husband, Jerrod will fight hard every day to secure the border, stand for the Rule of Law, strengthen our military, take care of our Vets, Defend our Nation, and protect our always under siege Second Amendment.”

In comparison, Trump called Newhouse “weak and pathetic.”

Source: Newsweek

In a statement, it said the IZH had acted as a direct representative of Iran’s Shi’ite Muslim Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and sought to bring about an Islamic revolution in Germany to impose theocratic rule.

The IZH was not available for comment by phone on Wednesday morning, and its website was not accessible to the public.

Iran’s foreign ministry said it had summoned the German ambassador in Tehran on Wednesday in protest at the ban.

“Unfortunately what happened in Germany is an example of Islamophobia and is in opposition to the teachings of the Abrahamic faiths,” it said on X, referencing Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The ministry said the ban violated freedom of expression and promoted violence and extremism.

Asked about the summoning of the ambassador, a German foreign ministry source said that it was up to the Iranian side to take concrete steps towards improving ties between the two countries that have been downgraded in recent years.

The German interior ministry said 53 of the IZH’s premises had been searched early on Wednesday in eight German states by investigators acting on a court order.

In addition to the Hamburg-based IZH, which includes one of the oldest mosques in Germany known for its turquoise exterior, subsidiaries in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin were also banned, with four Shi’ite mosques to be closed, said the ministry.

The interior ministry said evidence from an earlier search of 55 properties conducted in November provided the basis for Wednesday’s ban of the IZH, known in German as Islamisches Zentrum Hamburg.

“Today, we banned the Islamisches Zentrum Hamburg, which promotes an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.

“This Islamist ideology is opposed to human dignity, women’s rights, an independent judiciary and our democratic government.”

She said she wanted to make clear “this ban absolutely does not apply to the peaceful practice of the Shi’ite religion”.

A 2020 report on Islamic life in Germany said there were about 5.5 million Muslims in Germany’s 83 million population.

The interior ministry also accused the IZH of promoting antisemitism and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is also banned in Germany and classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union.

Source: Reuters

“There is no place … in France for those who call for and incite hatred in prayer halls or in mosques, and who don’t respect certain republican principles, notably equality between men and women,” Cazeneuve said, adding, “That is why I took the decision a few months ago to close mosques through the state of emergency, legal measures or administrative measures. About 20 mosques have been closed, and there will be others.” The announcement came days after French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called for a temporary ban on foreign funding of French mosques.

Cazeneuve also announced that French authorities would be working with the French Council of the Muslim Faith to launch a foundation to help finance mosques within France. “Since October 2016, a foundation was created to finance the cultural aspect of cultural institutions and scholarships for secular education #islam,” he tweeted.

Source: Le Figaro

“Today we are at war whether you like it or not and we have to fight it with whatever we have,” said Daniela Santanche, a lawmaker from the center-right Forza Italia party who joined protesters in Pisa last weekend (Aug. 20). “Mosques should be closed, not opened, because they are not places of worship but places that preach hatred.”

Those leading the “No Mosque” campaign say they have gathered more than 2,000 signatures, which they claim is enough for a referendum to overturn the council decision. But Izzedin Elzir, the president of the Union of Italian Islamic Communities, said any referendum would be “unconstitutional” and threaten Muslims’ religious freedom.

“Our rights should be protected,” Elzir told RNS. “This campaign is based on prejudice and opposition generated by politicians who want to win votes by exploiting fear after the recent attacks in France, Belgium and Germany. “They need to take responsibility for fanning the flames of prejudice and creating panic,” he added. Elzir said around 300 Muslims attend Friday prayers regularly in Pisa but he estimates there are as many as 3,000 Muslims in the town, including migrants who have moved there from Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco and Bangladesh.

The mayor of Pisa, Marco Filippeschi, said any move to block the project would be in contravention of freedom of worship, which is enshrined in the Italian constitution. “For 20 years Muslims from Pisa have been coming together in a small mosque in the center of town and no one has ever protested,” Filippeschi said. He also stressed that “not one cent will be spent by the council administration to build the mosque.”

The dispute over the mosque made headlines just days after Italian authorities ordered the expulsion of a Tunisian man who they accused of planning an attack on the Leaning Tower. Bilel Chiahoui, 26, was arrested after posting messages on social media praising the terrorists behind recent jihadist attacks in Europe and sharing plans to attack the monument. One of Italy’s most recognizable landmarks, the Leaning Tower sits beside the city’s cathedral and baptistery. Construction of the eight-story tower, which tilts dramatically to one side, was begun in 1173 and completed in 1399.

Source: Religious News Service (RNS)

An Oklahoma lawmaker who once called Islam “a cancer in our nation that needs to be cut out” has now successfully proposed an interim study to determine the threat and effect of radicalization.

Republican State Rep. John Bennett submitted a proposal to study the “current threat posed by radical Islam and the effect that Shariah Law, the Muslim Brotherhood and jihadist indoctrination have in the radicalization process in Oklahoma and America.”

State lawmakers approved the proposal July 8, along with 71 other studies, for an estimated $50,000, Tricia Pemberton, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, told BuzzFeed News. In June, an interfaith coalition of over 60 reverends, Muslim imams, community organizations, citizens, and interfaith leaders, wrote an open letter asking Oklahoma House Speaker Jeffrey Hickman to reject Bennett’s study, which they called “fiscally irresponsible, potentially counterproductive, and ultimately unnecessary.”

The Rev. Bob Lawrence, executive director Interfaith Alliance of Tulsa, signed the letter and told BuzzFeed News his primary reason for opposing the study was the waste of tax payers dollars because federal resources already address similar issues. “The cost is appalling, especially when you consider that we can’t afford to put more teachers in the classroom,” Lawrence said. “If we want to look at radicalization, focusing in on one group will lead to more stereotyping and Islamophobia. Especially here in Oklahoma, there’s plenty of radicalization that one can find outside of the Muslim tradition.”

The letter Lawrence signed points out that the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified 17 hate groups in Oklahoma that ascribe to different “ideologies, religions, and backgrounds.” Those organizations “need to be part of any meaningful analysis of how to understand and counter radical extremists,” the letter adds. “Focusing on possible radicalization within only one group may be counterproductive and encourage the very radicalization officials intend to prevent,” the group adds.

Source: BuzzFeed News