CNN
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as soon as praised a cleric and chief within the Muslim neighborhood who has unfold antisemitic content material on Fb, in accordance with video newly revealed by the Washington Examiner.
The video options Walz, who was chosen last week to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ operating mate, talking at an occasion hosted by the Muslim American Society of Minnesota throughout his first gubernatorial marketing campaign in 2018, in accordance with the Examiner. Within the video, Walz praises Imam Asad Zaman, government director of the group internet hosting the occasion, as a “grasp instructor” and briefly touches on their shared historical past.
“I wish to initially say thanks to Imam. I’m a instructor, so once I see a grasp instructor, I do know it,” Walz says within the video. “Over the time we’ve spent collectively, one of many issues I’ve had the privilege of is seeing the issues in life by means of the attention of a grasp instructor to try to get the understanding, listening in the present day to the tales and what it means.”
Walz’s look alongside the Muslim cleric, one in every of a number of in recent times, got here after Zaman had shared a hyperlink in 2015 to a neo-Nazi propaganda movie that portrayed Adolf Hitler in a optimistic mild. Zaman had additionally shared a Hamas press release in 2016 mourning the loss of life of a Bangladeshi Muslim politician, who was executed after being discovered responsible of struggle crimes.
Within the wake of the October 7 attacks by Hamas inside Israel, Zaman has shared anti-Israel posts on social media. On October 7, he expressed solidarity with Palestinians “towards Israeli assaults” whereas sharing a press release from the Muslim American Society of Minnesota condemning “Israel’s current unprovoked assaults.” Earlier that day, Zaman shared a put up arguing, “Palestine has the suitable to defend itself.”
In a press release to CNN, Harris marketing campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt mentioned that Walz and Zaman don’t have a “private relationship.”
“The Governor and he don’t have a private relationship. Governor Walz strongly condemns Hamas terrorism,” Hitt informed CNN.
Zaman additionally informed CNN on Tuesday that he doesn’t have a “private relationship” with Walz. When requested in regards to the antisemitic Fb posts, Zaman mentioned in an e mail that he typically shares hyperlinks on social media “with out absolutely them.”
“Folks, myself included, will typically go alongside social media gadgets with out absolutely them. I help organizations, leaders and efforts to deliver higher justice, equality and wellbeing to all folks whether or not Muslim or Jewish, Christian or Hindu, believer or atheist. Wanting hurt to folks is towards my religion and my private convictions,” he mentioned.
Requested about his opinion of the Harris-Walz marketing campaign’s stance on the Israel-Hamas struggle, Zaman mentioned he was “unclear on what their stance is” however added that he hopes to see “a direct finish to the big human struggling and devastation this struggle is inflicting.”
As governor, Walz and members of his workers have hosted and appeared alongside Zaman on a number of events, together with a gathering as just lately as last year a couple of spike in safety considerations at native mosques. Zaman joined Walz and different Minnesota elected officers at a information convention calling for the tip of the federal authorities shutdown in January 2019. He delivered an invocation together with different religion leaders forward of Walz’s annual State of the State tackle later that yr. Walz and Zaman each spoke at a news conference that includes Minnesota elected officers and neighborhood religion leaders calling for protesters to behave peacefully following the killing of George Floyd in Might 2020.
Within the 2018 video, Walz says he spoke to Zaman after a 2017 bombing of a mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota, and individually mentioned with Zaman US coverage towards Syrian refugees below the Trump administration and rising cases of Islamophobia at the moment.
“To be very sincere, on this area, Imam Zaman is true on this. There may be Islamophobia. There’s a hatred that’s being stirred. There are folks in management positions which are making this example worse,” Walz says within the video.
This story has been up to date with a response from Imam Asad Zaman.
CLARIFICATION: This story has additionally been up to date to mirror that Zaman’s assembly final yr was with a member of Gov. Tim Walz’s workplace.