We have previously reported on Basem Mahmoud, the imam who preaches anti-Semitic sermons against Jews in the Rosengard section of Malmo, Sweden. Mahmoud has been charged with hate speech against (Jews) and will go on trial in September. In addition, he is being forced to vacate his mosque.
Under American law, even hate speech is protected speech unless it crosses the line into direct incitement to violence. Such is not the case in Sweden. But if Swedes are afraid to criticize their government's immigration policy, then certainly, the law should be applied to Muslim preachers who use their sermons to spread hate against the country's Jews. I have no opinion on whether this imam should be imprisoned for the hateful things he says against Jews, but I would hope that he would be kicked out of the country.
The below update on Mahmoud from the Swedish daily, Expressen, is translated by Fousesquawk.
https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/nu-atalas-imamen-i--malmo-for-hatpredikan/
Now the Malmo imam is charged for incitement
Malmo: Posted 2 August 2022 19:02
Malmo imam Basem Mahmoud is charged for incitement against an ethnic group of people. This after he had expressed anti-Semitic views on several occasions. At the same time, he loses his MKB lease (Malmo Housing Company).
"I was extremely upset that he used the site for the purpose of spreading extremist messages," says Lars-Erik Lovden (Social Democrats) chairman of MKB.
Over two years, Imam Basem Mahmoud spread a hateful message and preached anti-Semitic views about Jews in a basement mosque in Rosengard. He maintained, among other things, that "the Western world is run by Jews," and that Muslims who cooperate with Jews are "traitors".
Now, two years later, he stands accused of incitement against an ethnic group. According to the indictment, Basem Mahmoud reportedly preached in Arabic that, "Jews are the descendants of apes and pigs".
Prosecutor Magdalena Tesfai has enlisted a researcher in religious science, Simon Sorgenfrei. He believes that Basem Mahmoud refers to a line in the Koran, but that there is no direct citation he uses in his sermon.
"At the same time, we can see how the preacher ties together a wider anti-Semitic conspiracy narrative that believes that there is a conspiracy, in this case, against Muslims, between "Jews" and "the West", Sorgenfrei writes in a (text message).
The trial against Basem Mahmoud will be held in September.
Lease contract terminated- forced to leave premises
At the same time, it is clear that Basem Mahmoud has not had his lease extended by the MKB for the basement mosque in Rosengard. He is forced to leave the premises.
Malmo's municipal council for the labor market and the social board, Sedat Arif (Social Democrat), praised MKB's decision in a Facebook post.
"This type of behavior is unacceptable, and in Malmo, there is no place at all for this type of incitement against an individual group, no matter which group it concerns or where it comes from. The premises used to spread hate messages on several occasions against various groups in Malmo is terminated, and they must now leave the premises," he writes.
The chairman of the MKB, Lars-Erik Lovden, confirms that the lease agreement was terminated on June 13, the day before Basem Mahmoud was charged.
"In addition, he has already moved out. The reason is that we need the premises for other uses."
"So it has nothing to do with hate-sermons?" ?"
"There are no grounds for termination of premises. But I was extremely upset that he used the premises for purposes of spreading an extremist message," Lars-Erik Larson (Social Democrat) says.
Kvallsposten is seeking comment from Basem Mahmoud.
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