Michigan lawmakers criticize Dearborn imam’s violent, antisemitic rhetoric
Ahmed Al-Qazwini said that killing Zionists was a ‘win-win situation’ in a sermon last month

Screenshot/MEMRI
Ahmed Al-Qazwini
Michigan lawmakers from both parties are condemning Ahmed Al-Qazwini, a Dearborn, Mich.-area imam and Shiite scholar, for saying in a sermon last month that killing Zionists is “a win-win situation.”
“Can you lose against a Zionist in the battlefield?” Al-Qazwini said during a Dec. 13 sermon at the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights, a heavily Arab American area. “It’s impossible to lose, because there is one of two scenarios, one of two outcomes. Either you kill him and you send him to hell, you’ve prevailed, or he kills you and he sends you to paradise. What other option is there? How can you lose? It’s a win-win situation,” Al-Qazwini said during the sermon, a video of which was posted on the Middle East Media Research Institute’s website.
Al-Qazwini described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Biden administration as each being “the greatest loser today” over the situation in the Middle East, adding, “It’s those Arab puppets, those Arab governments that not only are they indifferent, not only do they neglect. No, but they conspire with the Zionists in killing Muslims.”
The Islamic Institute of America did not respond to Jewish Insider’s request for comment regarding Al-Qazwini’s sermon. The remarks, which began circulating on social media this past week, were met with condemnation from a handful of congressional lawmakers.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) told JI in a statement, “These remarks were shocking. He glorified violence and hatred, and his antisemitic rhetoric has no place in Michigan — or anywhere in our country for that matter. I unequivocally condemn his statements.”
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) said, “Advocating for violence is reprehensible. Full Stop. In Michigan, our diverse faiths and diverse beliefs are a strength.”
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) said, “I condemn the dangerous remarks of Mr. Qazwini in December 2024 at the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights, MI. We do not need religious institutions in the U.S. calling for violence or the killing of other people based on one’s religious beliefs. The path to peace is impeded by words like this.”
“These comments are clearly reprehensible, both in their calls for violence and their blatant antisemitism,” Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) told JI. “Inflammatory language like this sews the seeds of violence, endangering innocent people and moving the conversation away from the peace we would like to achieve.”
Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) said, “Antisemitism is on the rise in our country, and comments like this are inexcusable and appalling. I strongly condemn violence and antisemitism of any kind. We must root out this hate from our institutions and the hearts and minds of those who seek to harm our Jewish brothers and sisters.”
“This is absolutely appalling,” Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) told JI. “I completely condemn this violent and unacceptable rhetoric.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, did not respond to JI’s request for comment before publication. Nor did Reps. John James (R-MI), Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Tom Barrett (R-MI).