Salah Sarsour

Overview

Salah Sarsour was reportedly a Hamas activist and fundraised for the terror organization. Sarsour has promoted incitement and expressed support for terrorists and violent activists. He has also denied the Jewish connection to Jerusalem, spread hatred of Israel and praised leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB).

As of June 2021, Sarsour was listed as a board member of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) on the organization’s website. In 2019, Sarsour served as the chairman of AMP’s annual Palestine Convention. In 2018 and 2016, he also served as AMP’s chairman. In 2015 and 2014, he served as an AMP steering committee member.

Salah Sarsour has indicated on Facebook that anti-Israel activist Linda Sarsour is a part of his “family.”

As of June 2021, Sarsour was listed on the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (WDFI) website as the registered agent for the Muslim American Society (MAS).

In March 2017, Sarsour indicated on Facebook that he was a steering committee member for MAS Milwaukee.

In December 2017, Sarsour was listed as the “Religious Chair” of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee (ISM), which has said that it uses its facilities to “raise funds” for AMP and local university chapters of the Muslim Student Association (MSA).

Sarsour was also reportedly a former fundraiser for the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), which provided both propaganda and fundraising services to Hamas.

As of June 2021, Sarsour was listed on the WDFI website as the registered agent for Galleria Furniture, LLC, which has branches in Milwaukee and Franklin, WI. He was also listed as the registered agent for Prime Furniture Wholesale, LLC in Milwaukee.

Sarsour was listed by WDFI as the registered agent for 12 limited liability corporations, including: 205 W Vogel LLC, 937 S Cesar LLC, Citywide Furniture LLC, Home Sweet Home Furniture LLC, MYCC LLC, Prime Furniture Trading LLC, Sak Capital Holdings LLC, S & I Properties LLC and S and K6 Investments LLC, founded in January 2021.

Alleged Hamas Activity

A February 12, 1998, Israeli police report quoted Sarsour’s brother, Jamil Sarsour, saying [p.2] that Salah served eight months in prison in 1995 for his connections [p.3] to Hamas.

According to the police report, Jamil Sarsour also said that while in prison, Salah befriended [p.2] Hamas leader Adel Awdallah, the West Bank commander of Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

According to the report, Jamil Sarsour also said [p.3] that after Adel Awdallah and Adel’s brother, Ahmad Awdallah, were killed by Israeli forces, Salah wanted to “vindicate their deaths.”

Jamil Sarsour went on to say [p.3] that his brother Salah “decided to plan an attack against Israel. I don't know if he did anything or just said he would do such a thing, but he was arrested.”

Fundraising for Hamas

On November 5, 2001, Salah Sarsour was reportedly listed [p.49] in an 2001 F.B.I. Action Memorandum as a fundraiser for Hamas in the United States. The memorandum stated that Salah’s “involvement with HAMAS” and his fundraising “activities” for the terror group were through the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF). The memorandum also stated [p.49] that Salah’s brother Imad was also a Hamas fundraiser.

Five individuals were indicted for funneling funds to Hamas in the guise of humanitarian aid through HLF. The men were all convicted and sentenced in 2009 to federal prison terms ranging from 15 to 65 years.

On February 12,1998, Jamil Sarsour also reportedly confessed [p. 3] to the Israeli police that he and Salah used multiple checks from their U.S.-based furniture business bank account to funnel $2,000 or $3,000 at a time to Hamas leader Adel Awdallah. Jamil Sarsour said these transactions occurred after Salah was released from prison and that Salah “didn't want to use personal checks from either one of us so that the government shouldn't trace the checks back to us personally.”

Promoting Incitement

On October 8, 2014, Sarsour wrote on Facebook about “المؤامرة الصهيونيه [the Zionist conspiracy]” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a traditional pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state. Such propaganda served as the excuse for an upsurge in Palestinian violence that flared in the fall of 2015 and incited Palestinians to attempt mass casualty attacks on Israeli civilians in July 2016..
Sarsour wrote in his Facebook post, in Arabic, that “Zionist groups... storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque and start to build the foundation of what is known as the alleged [Jewish] Temple... Al-Aqsa is our honor, our dignity, our history and our future. Silence is forbidden over these criminals any longer…”

Palestinians and anti-Israel activists have historically described visits by Jews to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as “incursions” during which Jews purportedly “storm” the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Palestinians have also frequently used the mosque to stockpile stone slabs, fireworks and rocks, with which they attack Israeli security officers and non-Muslim visitors to the Temple Mount.

On November 27, 2014, Sarsour spoke at AMP’s annual conference where he urged [00:26:38] parents to tell their children “about Palestine, it will continue and stay a state for Palestinians - not a Jewish state.”

On September 17, 2015, Sarsour posted photos on Facebook of the Al Aqsa mosque and a notice for a Chicago rally against the “Israeli aggression at Al Aqsa.”

On September 13, 2015, masked Palestinian rioters barricaded themselves inside the Al Aqsa Mosque. They set off fireworks, starting a small fire, and threw stones and debris stored inside the mosque at Israeli police. The police later found pipe bombs the rioters had prepared to launch at Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount plaza.

On October 19, 2015, during the Knife Intifada, Sarsour wrote on Facebook: “Intifada intifada we support the intifada .. From chicago protest to support our umma [Islamic nation] cause Palestine.” In his post, he live-streamed a video from an AMP rally in Chicago where he said in Arabic [00:00:35]: “We are doing an intifada in Chicago."

In October 2015, there was an upsurge in violence across Israel incited by Palestinian political and religious leaders. The wave of stabbings, known as the “Knife Intifada,” was characterized by young Palestinians throughout the country stabbing and attempting to stab Israeli civilians. The attacks were incited by Palestinian leaders propagating the libel that Israel intended to desecrate the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Also on October 19, 2015, Sarsour posted Facebook photos from the Chicago AMP rally and commented: “Free free Palestine Milwaukee supporters in chicago protest .. Supporting the Intifada.”

Since the early 2000s, the term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” has carried the connotation of violence.

On October 31, 2015, Sarsour promoted an AMP event at the Islamic Society of Milwaukee (ISM), titled: “Our Aqsa is Under Threat,” which featured AMP Chairman, Hatem Bazian.

On November 1, 2015, Sarsour posted photos of the same AMP event on Facebook and wrote: “Tonight's event at the ISM Supporting Al-Aqsa and the Intifada.”

On December 15, 2017, Sarsour live-streamed a Facebook video from a bus ride to an AMP rally the next day in Washington, D.C. where he said [00:01:45]: “Jerusalem not for sale! … We will live, we will die for this cause.”

On August 28, 2018, Sarsour wrote on Facebook: “اللهم اجعل كل من تأمر على القدس وغزه وكل فلسطين عبره لمن يعتبر. اللهم افضحهم وشتتهم واجعل مألهم مزبلة التاريخ النتنه امين امين [O Allah! Make a lesson to be taught out of all those who plot against Jerusalem, Gaza and the whole of Palestine. O Allah, expose them and disperse them, and make their property the stinking dustbin of history. Amen Amen].”

On May 8, 2021, Sarsour shared to Facebook a video of thousands of people at the Al-Aqsa Mosque who said [00:00:01] in Arabic: “I swear to Allah Almighty ... that we will protect the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque! ... With spirit, with blood, we will redeem you Aqsa!”

The chant “be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya Aqsaبروح ودم نفديك يااقصى “ [with spirit, with blood wewill redeem you Aqsa] can also be heard [00:01:14] at anti-Israel rallies [00:02:19] in America. Yasser Arafat popularized the anti-Israel chant [00:00:23] that translates into English: “With spirit, with blood, we will redeem you Palestine!”

Supporting Terrorists

On November 11, 2018, Sarsour wrote on Facebook in support of Hamas militant Nour Baraka, who fought against Israeli forces in Gaza that day.

Nour Barakeh [Nour Baraka] joined the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, in 2003 and served as their senior commander. Barakeh was reportedly “closely involved in Hamas’s tunnel program.” In November 2018, Barakeh and six other Hamas militants were killed during a firefight with Israeli reconnaissance unit in Gaza.

On October 26, 2018, Sarsour wrote on Facebook: “اللهم ارنا يوما أسوداً في اسرائيل وكل من حالفها ووالها ودعمها وتستر على جرائمها. شهدائنا في الجنه ان شاء الله [Oh Allah, show us a dark day [punishment] upon Israel and all those who allied with it and supported it and covered up its crimes. Our martyrs are in heaven, Allah-willing].”

On October 26 - 27, 2018, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fired approximately 40 rockets into Israel after five rioters, among the thousands massing at the Israel-Gaza border fence, were shot by Israeli soldiers. CNN reported that Israel said that 16,000 protesters were at the fence with “some hurling grenades and firebombs.”

On December 11, 2015, Sarsour wrote on Facebook in support of siblings Dania and Udai Irsheid, writing “ عائله من قلب الخليل تعلمنا معنى الحياه والصبر والصمود [A family from the heart of Hebron teaches us the meaning of life, patience and steadfastness].”

Dania Irsheid was shot by an Israeli police officer in October 2015 after she attempted to stab him. Udai Irshaid was killed in December 2015, during a riot where hundreds of Palestinians attacked Israeli soldiers with firebombs, stones and rolling burning tires.

Supporting Violent Activists

On June 4, 2010, Sarsour was featured in a Facebook photo leading an anti-Israel rally after the Israeli military and anti-Israel activists clashed on board a ship in a flotilla intended to break the blockade of Gaza.

Israel and Egypt implemented a United Nations-approved [pp. 39–41] joint blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2011 to stop Hamas from acquiring more sophisticated rockets.

The Mavi Marmara was the lead ship in the “Freedom Flotilla” that attempted to sail to Gaza in May 2010. Activists aboard the ship agitated for violent confrontation and chanted a slogan glorifying the killing of Jews. When Israeli security forces boarded the Marmara, protesters attacked them with iron bars, metal chairs, knives, stun grenades and firearms, rocks and bottles. A United Nations report found that the flotilla agitators initiated an organized, violent confrontation with Israeli forces, and that the Marmara was carrying no humanitarian aid, only weaponry.

On May 11, 2018, Sarsour posted a graphic to Facebook that said: “Stop Israeli Massacre of Palestinians on the #GreatReturn March.” Sarsour wrote in the post: “Join us this upcoming Monday with Right of return March

downtown Milwaukee #palestine_will_be_free.” AMP and two Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters were among the co-organizers.

In May 2018, terror organization Hamas instigated the “March of Return.” Thousands of violent rioters attempted numerous breaches of Israel’s border fence with Gaza, seeking to harm Jews across the border. Media reports confirmed [00:00:20] protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of the fence, some by armed Palestinians. On May 15, 2018, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar said the Gaza protests were only a pretext of “peaceful resistance.”

The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.

On May 14, 2018, Sarsour live-streamed the rally on Facebook, where protesters called [00:00:45] Israel a “racist state.” Sarsour participated [00:05:11] in a chant that suggested Israel intentionally kills children and he also chanted [00:01:40]: “Occupation is a crime! Get out of Palestine!”

Denying the Jewish Connection to Jerusalem

On May 21, 2017, Sarsour wrote on Facebook that it was “خطر [dangerous]" for U.S. President Donald Trump to have “ عتبر القدس مكان عباده لليهود وكأنه [considered Jerusalem a place of worship for Jews]" during a speech that day in Saudi Arabia.

Sarsour ended his Facebook post with the hashtag: “#القدس_اسلاميه_ وستبقى_اسلاميه [#Jerusalem_is_Islamic_and_will_remain_Islamic]."

One way anti-Israel activists spread anti-Semitism is by denying [00:17:45] Jewish history, with the aim of delegitimizing restored Jewish sovereignty, attacking Israel’s legitimacy and portraying Jews as foreign to the Land of Israel.

Spreading Hatred of Israel

On June 8, 2021, Sarsour wrote on Facebook, in Arabic: “Israel is a state of terror par excellence, and it must be removed by any means for humanity to live.”

On May 20, 2020, Sarsour posted multiple Facebook videos from an AMP protest in Milwaukee during Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW) against Hamas.

In May 2021, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists fired over 4,300 rockets from Gaza at major population centers in Israel. Israel responded by launching “Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW),” carrying out targeted military strikes in Gaza.

In one of Sarsour’s videos, an activist chanted [00:15:39] about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC): “Congress, AIPAC, you can’t hide! We charge you with genocide!”

In the same video, an SJP activist said [00:09:03]: “Zionism is racism and zionism is genocide.” She also said [00:08:46] “Let this serve as a reminder that the Nakba never ended. We are protesting ethnic cleansing and we are protesting settler colonialism.”

The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by defining it as a catastrophe.

On November 1, 2018, Sarsour posted to Facebook a photo of Zionist movement leader founder Theodor Herzl, with a fake quote in Arabic claiming that Herzl wanted Zionist control over Arab countries. The quote translated into English: “We will appoint over them the basest of their people unless a day comes when the Arab nations welcome the Israel Defense Forces with roses and tailwinds.”

Sarsour wrote: “ولكنه لم يعلم ان مع وجود السفله سيكون موجود نعم الرجال الرجال وأخوات المرجله الذين سيقلبون الطاوله عليهم جميعا بأذن الله #لا_ نامت _اعين _العملاء يسقط_خونة_التطبيع_العملاء [However, he did not know that aside from the basest men there are also the finest people, brave men and courageous women who will flip the table on them all, with Allah’s help.”

On July 14, 2018, Sarsour wrote on Facebook: “عنجهيه صهيونية +تواطؤ عربي +خيانه سلطوية عميله=قتل ابنائنا في غزه [Zionist arrogance + Arab collusion + betrayal of the collaborative [Palestinian] Authority = killing our children in Gaza].”

On December 16, 2017, Sarsour live-streamed a Facebook video from an AMP rally in Washington, D.C. to protest the American decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In Sarsour’s video, rally leaders accused [00:10:43] U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “genocide.” Rally leaders also used Netanyahu’s nickname “Bibi” in the chant [00:17:08]: “Bibi and Hitler are the same! The only difference is the name!”

On September 4, 2014, Sarsour wrote on Facebook that Israel was behind the creation of ISIS, writing: “ فهذا المكر والدمار لا بد ان ورأه ايدٍ مجرمه عليها وشم نجمة داوود [This deceit and destruction must have criminal hands behind it with the smell of the Star of David].”

Praising Muslim Brotherhood Leaders

On September 14, 2016, Sarsour posted on Facebook about MB leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi.

He wrote: “والله أني احبك بالله لقد تشرفت بلقاء سيدي الشيخ الجليل القرضاوي ٣ مرات في حياتي وآخر مره قابلته قبلت يده لأن أمثال هذا العالم الجليل نتقرب الى الله بحبهم ومعرفتهم لا نامت اعين اي عميل متطاول على شيخنا القرضاوي [I swear to Allah, I love you by Allah. I have been honored to meet with my master, the dignified Sheikh Qaradawi three times in my life. The last time I met him, I kissed his hand because through the likes of this dignified scholar we come closer to Allah with love and knowledge].”

Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi has spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, called for the murder of American civilians and troops in Iraq, as well as homosexuals and Jews. He has also expressed support for domestic violence against women.

He is the president of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, which the Wall Street Journal reported in 2005 had used the anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion as a basis for some of its deliberations.

In a statement that aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 30, 2009, Al-Qaradawi said: "Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the Jews... The last punishment was carried out by Hitler...Allah Willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers."

On September 23, 2017, Sarsour, in a Facebook post, mourned the death of former Egyptian MB leader Mohammed Mahdi Akef, who has denied the Holocaust, and criticized Egyptian President Abdel Fatteh el-Sisi for being Israel’s “عراب [godfather].”

Ties with Anti-Israel Activist Linda Sarsour

On April 15, 2018, Salah Sarsour posted to Facebook a photo of activist Linda Sarsour holding a small child. The photo’s text said “[name of the child] and Linda … the PWR [power] of Sarsour.”

Linda Sarsour has expressed support for Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists and promoted other terrorists on social media.

Also on April 15, 2018, Salah Sarsour posted to Facebook a photo that featured Linda and Salah posing with Salah’s mother and daughter. The photo featured the text: “Family.” The photo was attributed to Salah’s daughter.

On April 7, 2018, Linda Sarsour appeared in multiple Facebook photos posted by the mother of Salah Sarsour.

One of those photos said, “#Family … Milwaukee” and featured Linda with Salah’s mother and daughter. Another photo featured Linda and Salah posing with Salah’s mother and daughter, along with what appeared to be the top half of the consecutive letters “a.m.i.l.y.”

Salah’s mother wrote that her photos were from a Muslim American Society (MAS) conference held in Milwaukee in late March, where Linda was a featured speaker.

Linda Sarsour has appeared in multiple photos with Salah Sarsour since 2016.

On April 3, 2016, Salah Sarsour posted to Facebook a photo of himself that showedLinda Sarsour posing in the background with her arms around Salah Sarsour’s mother.

That same day, Salah Sarsour posted to Facebook a photo showing himself standing next to Linda Sarsour, along with his wife, mother and brother.

On January 21, 2017, the Daily Caller reported that Linda Sarsour and Salah Sarsour appeared in a Facebook photo together at a MAS conference. The report said that Linda Sarsour has “suggested in the past on social media that they are not” related to each other.

AMP

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) was founded by UC Berkeley Professor Hatem Bazian as a vehicle to generate mainstream support in the United States for the Palestinian national cause.

On its website, the organization lists Bazian as the chairman of its national board and describes itself as “a national education and grassroots-based organization, dedicated to educating the American public about Palestine and its rich cultural, historical and religious heritage.”

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has accused AMP of promoting “extreme anti-Israel views and has at times provided a platform for anti-Semitism under the guise of educating Americans” about Palestinians. The ADL further stated that AMP is directly involved in campus-based anti-Israel activity through Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

Prior to founding the AMP in 2006, Dr. Bazian created SJP together with fellow UC Berkeley Professor Snehal Shingavi in 2001. The close working relationship between AMP and SJP has been documented several times over the years by several organizations, including NGO Monitor and StandWithUs.

In addition to providing financial, public relations and legal assistance to SJP, AMP has also been accused of having connections to Hamas. The AMP national board includes former members of both the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP) and Holy Land Foundation (HLF), both of which were found liable for aiding and abetting Hamas. The IAP was founded by Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, a senior member of Hamas.