A Muslim cleric who has praised Iran and refused to call Hezbollah a terrorist organization was reportedly tapped to deliver a benediction at President-elect Trump's inauguration.
Husham Al-Husainy is a well-known Iraqi-American imam in Michigan, overseeing the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center in Dearborn. Al-Husainy was among a swath of Muslim voters in Michigan who indicated ahead of Election Day that they would support Trump instead of the Democratic Party's ticket in November.
"I lean towards Mr. Trump because I found him closer to the Bible, the Torah, and the Quran. Because I support peace, no war," he said back in October, Fox News Digital reported at the time. He added that the country "deserves to have a strong leader where he can bring peace in this world."
Before he indicated support for the former and upcoming president, Al-Husainy reportedly made a series of questionable comments. A Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, the Middle East Media and Research Institute, for example, reported this week that the Muslim cleric praised Iran in a 2022 interview.
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"Thank God We Have the Islamic Republic of Iran; Its Light Goes to Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and All Over," he said in the interview, the nonprofit posted on X.
The conservative nonprofit The Middle East Forum described the cleric as a "radical antisemitic, pro-Hezbollah Shia imam," who reportedly hosted a 2015 rally in Dearborn where he "wished death upon Saudi Arabia" amid the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war.
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In 2007, Al-Husainy joined Fox News' Sean Hannity on the "Hannity & Colmes" program, where he was pressed on whether he considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The cleric joined the program following his invitation to the DNC's winter meeting that year to deliver the invocation.
"I'll ask you again. Is Hezbollah - this is a yes or no question. Is Hezbollah a terrorist organization? Yes or no?" Hannity asked the imam.
"Now if - I give you a time to ask me a question. Now give me time to answer it, please," Al-Husainy said.
"Yes or no?" Hannity continued.
"First of all - first of all, Hezbollah is a Lebanese organization. And I've got nothing to do with that. But there is a biblical meaning of Hezbollah. It is in Judaism and Christianity and Islam meaning people of God and that means yes," the imam responded.
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Later in the segment, Hannity again asked if Hezbollah is a terrorist organization.
"This is - your idea of a political or… you know what Hezbollah means? I support the people of God," Al-Husainy said.
The State Department has recognized Hezbollah as a terrorist organization since 1997.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump transition team regarding the invitation and Al-Husainy's previous comments, but did not receive a reply.
Matt Foldi, the former congressional candidate and current editor-in-chief of the Washington Reporter, shared a photo on X this week reportedly showing the official program of Inauguration Day, including that Al-Husainy, a Catholic priest, the Rev. Frank Mann, Rabbi Ari Berman and a Detroit pastor, Lorenzo Sewell, are slated to deliver benedictions.
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Fox News Digital also attempted to reach Al-Husainy via the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center, but did not immediately receive a reply.
Dearborn, Michigan, is home to the proportionally largest Muslim population in the U.S. and became the birthplace of the "Abandon Biden" movement last year as Arab voters spoke out about the administration's handling of the conflict in Gaza. The movement morphed into "abandoning" Vice President Kamala Harris after Biden dropped out of the race in July, and ultimately endorsed Trump on Election Day.
Muslim voters overall favored Harris by 32 percentage points in the 2024 election. Trump won 32% of their vote, while Harris won 63%. In 2020, Biden had won 64% of the Muslim vote, and Trump had won 35%. Trump faced mixed support from Muslim and Arab American voters, but in swing states like Michigan, their support became especially crucial.
Arab American voters in Dearborn said following the election that they voted for Trump over Harris in protest of her stance on the Israel-Hamas war.
"They didn't vote for Trump because they believe Trump is the best candidate," Arab American News publisher Osama Siblani told Politico in November. "No, they voted for Trump because they want to punish the Democrats and Harris."
Fox News Digital's Michael Lee contributed to this report.
