PARKINS, North Ceona--The senior pastor of one of the nation's largest Evangelical mega-churches is coming under fire for comments he made that some have called anti-Islam.
Rev. Ahmad Hassan, who pastors the 8,000-member-strong Church of the Saviour in suburban Parkins, said in an interview with Forefront magazine that Islam "breeds violence," and that political correctness is "hampering the fight" against Islamic terrorists.
"It breeds violence and contempt for non-Muslims, particularly Westerners, Christians, Jews, etc., and even for other Muslims of different sects. And it's not just a religion, it's a culture and way of life that preaches hatred and preaches overcoming or overtaking one's enemies at any cost, including death," Hassan said.
Hassan added that Western media and politicians have "caved" to political correctness when dealing with Islamic terrorists.
"The media doesn't hesitate to identify right-wing Christian groups that espouse violence and carry out violent attacks. They don't hesitate to criticize Christian leaders for discrimination and bigotry and wrongdoing. But when it comes to the Muslim faith, the media and our politicians are very timid. They don't want to offend, they don't want to seem culturally insensitive, they're very careful not to step on any toes. They're very slow to criticize and pronounce judgment. But with Christians, it's very different. This kind of timidity does not do our country any favors. It only allows terrorists and people with ill-will against the Western culture to thrive, because everyone in the media and the government is too afraid to stand up to them and call them out for their atrocities," said Hassan.
"When some right-wing, anti-government, anarchist, end-of-the-world militia group commits an act of violence, it's splashed all over the news, in all the newspapers and all over online. But when it comes to radical Muslims, the media is very cowardly about calling it like it is."
Hassan's comments were quickly condemned by pro-Muslim groups.
"This kind of hate-speech is typical from the conservative, far-right of the political spectrum, and it should be denounced for what it is: falsehoods," Mohammed Al-Suyair of Muslims United said in an interview with the GBC.
"Ahmad Hassan is a convert, he changed his religious views, something he's allowed to do. But he should not go around trashing the Muslim faith and calling it violent and anti-Western and anti-Christian. The vast majority of Muslims in this country, and every country, are law-abiding, peaceful people that do not hate others that are different from them. Ahmad Hassan should denounce his words and apologize to all Muslims," Al-Suyair said.
Hassan is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity.
Born into an affluent family in Saudi Arabia in 1969, the future Evangelical pastor lived there until emigrating to Italy at the age of 26. He then moved to Grassadellia in 1997.
At the age of 28, while a student at the prestigious Grigsby School of Technology at Mayton Stansbury University in Madagen, Hassan was befriended by a group of young Christians, and began attending weekly church services on campus. After nine months of prayer, he finally decided to officially convert to Christianity, despite being disowned by his family.
Hassan graduated from the Grigsby School of Technology, earning a Masters in Physics. While at Mayton Stansbury, he met his future-wife Nareha, who is also a former Muslim from Oman.
In 2003, the Hassans founded Church of the Saviour in the suburb of Rose Acre, northeast of Parkins. The church started with only 30 people, and met weekly in an elementary school cafeteria. But the congregation quickly grew to more than 900 people in just two years, and has been growing ever since.
Since their conversions, Ahmad and Nareha Hassan have become leading voices of the Grassadellian Evangelical community. They speak frequently around the country and across the globe at Evangelical events.
But his prominent standing in the conservative Christian community is another reason critics are displeased with Ahmad Hassan's recent anti-Islam comments.
"He's entitled to his beliefs, but as someone who is so prominent and has such a large standing in the Evangelical movement in this country, his voice resonates and carries weight. And when you say these sorts of ignorant, misguided statements, it really does no favors in smoothing over tensions between different religious groups," Tanya Arington, Director of the National Coalition for Diversity (NCD) told the Grassadellia City Times.
Hassan did point out in the interview that he does not hate Muslims.
"I don't hate Muslims. On the contrary, I love my fellow Muslims. I understand them a lot better than most Christians and most Christian leaders do. I know Muslims are good people but they are very often indoctrinated with hate from an early age. Hate for America, hate for Israel, hate for the West in general. It's not that they're inherently bad people, but they are taught this from an early age and that seed of hate that is planted in one's youth, it begins to fester and take hold in a person's heart, and eventually in a nation and a pan-national culture. And that's why we have people blowing up buildings today and wanting to harm other people. Because an uninformed, unfounded and immoral hatred is taking root in the Muslim world."
The Grassadellian Union of Evangelical Churches (GUEC), of which Hassan is a high-profile member, would not comment on the matter.
Rev. Ahmad Hassan, who pastors the 8,000-member-strong Church of the Saviour in suburban Parkins, said in an interview with Forefront magazine that Islam "breeds violence," and that political correctness is "hampering the fight" against Islamic terrorists.
"It breeds violence and contempt for non-Muslims, particularly Westerners, Christians, Jews, etc., and even for other Muslims of different sects. And it's not just a religion, it's a culture and way of life that preaches hatred and preaches overcoming or overtaking one's enemies at any cost, including death," Hassan said.
Hassan added that Western media and politicians have "caved" to political correctness when dealing with Islamic terrorists.
"The media doesn't hesitate to identify right-wing Christian groups that espouse violence and carry out violent attacks. They don't hesitate to criticize Christian leaders for discrimination and bigotry and wrongdoing. But when it comes to the Muslim faith, the media and our politicians are very timid. They don't want to offend, they don't want to seem culturally insensitive, they're very careful not to step on any toes. They're very slow to criticize and pronounce judgment. But with Christians, it's very different. This kind of timidity does not do our country any favors. It only allows terrorists and people with ill-will against the Western culture to thrive, because everyone in the media and the government is too afraid to stand up to them and call them out for their atrocities," said Hassan.
"When some right-wing, anti-government, anarchist, end-of-the-world militia group commits an act of violence, it's splashed all over the news, in all the newspapers and all over online. But when it comes to radical Muslims, the media is very cowardly about calling it like it is."
Hassan's comments were quickly condemned by pro-Muslim groups.
"This kind of hate-speech is typical from the conservative, far-right of the political spectrum, and it should be denounced for what it is: falsehoods," Mohammed Al-Suyair of Muslims United said in an interview with the GBC.
"Ahmad Hassan is a convert, he changed his religious views, something he's allowed to do. But he should not go around trashing the Muslim faith and calling it violent and anti-Western and anti-Christian. The vast majority of Muslims in this country, and every country, are law-abiding, peaceful people that do not hate others that are different from them. Ahmad Hassan should denounce his words and apologize to all Muslims," Al-Suyair said.
Hassan is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity.
Born into an affluent family in Saudi Arabia in 1969, the future Evangelical pastor lived there until emigrating to Italy at the age of 26. He then moved to Grassadellia in 1997.
At the age of 28, while a student at the prestigious Grigsby School of Technology at Mayton Stansbury University in Madagen, Hassan was befriended by a group of young Christians, and began attending weekly church services on campus. After nine months of prayer, he finally decided to officially convert to Christianity, despite being disowned by his family.
Hassan graduated from the Grigsby School of Technology, earning a Masters in Physics. While at Mayton Stansbury, he met his future-wife Nareha, who is also a former Muslim from Oman.
In 2003, the Hassans founded Church of the Saviour in the suburb of Rose Acre, northeast of Parkins. The church started with only 30 people, and met weekly in an elementary school cafeteria. But the congregation quickly grew to more than 900 people in just two years, and has been growing ever since.
Since their conversions, Ahmad and Nareha Hassan have become leading voices of the Grassadellian Evangelical community. They speak frequently around the country and across the globe at Evangelical events.
But his prominent standing in the conservative Christian community is another reason critics are displeased with Ahmad Hassan's recent anti-Islam comments.
"He's entitled to his beliefs, but as someone who is so prominent and has such a large standing in the Evangelical movement in this country, his voice resonates and carries weight. And when you say these sorts of ignorant, misguided statements, it really does no favors in smoothing over tensions between different religious groups," Tanya Arington, Director of the National Coalition for Diversity (NCD) told the Grassadellia City Times.
Hassan did point out in the interview that he does not hate Muslims.
"I don't hate Muslims. On the contrary, I love my fellow Muslims. I understand them a lot better than most Christians and most Christian leaders do. I know Muslims are good people but they are very often indoctrinated with hate from an early age. Hate for America, hate for Israel, hate for the West in general. It's not that they're inherently bad people, but they are taught this from an early age and that seed of hate that is planted in one's youth, it begins to fester and take hold in a person's heart, and eventually in a nation and a pan-national culture. And that's why we have people blowing up buildings today and wanting to harm other people. Because an uninformed, unfounded and immoral hatred is taking root in the Muslim world."
The Grassadellian Union of Evangelical Churches (GUEC), of which Hassan is a high-profile member, would not comment on the matter.
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