by Giovanni Giacalone
Not only the attacks on Jews, Israel, the United States, homosexuals, King Hussein of Jordan, MPs and unaligned Italian journalists, but also against a former Muslim Italian/Egyptian intellectual and MEP who converted to Christianity and who is under police protection. Why are the Italian authorities procrastinating a much-needed intervention?
Khan’s events timeline
October 7, 2023-currently – Zulfiqar Khan’s hate speech against the United States, Israel, the Jews, Semitism, journalists, and pro-Hamas propaganda is delivered on a weekly basis.
June 19, 2024 – deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini states that Khan “must be expelled immediately”.
June 24 – A parliament inquiry to the Italian Ministry of Interior on Khan’s preaching is presented at the House and at the Senate by MPs Sara Kelany and Marco Lisei.
July 6/8 – Khan posts two videos attacking Magdi Allam and accusing him of misbelief.
July 9 – The Italian Ministry of Interior presents a very brief reply to the inquiry.
July 10 – The Iqraa Facebook Page and Zulfiqar Khan’s personal profile are inaccessible to the Italian internet traffic, but they are still visible using a VPN or from outside Italian borders.
July 12 – Khan delivers a sermon (the first one after blocking the access to Italian web traffic) where he denies the existence of Judaism and Christianity, invoking submission to Allah only.
July 15 – MP Sara Kelany denounces the block with a public statement while Magdi Allam writes an open letter to the Italian Minister of Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, asking for intervention on Khan.
The case of Zulfiqar Khan, the Pakistani imam of the “Iqraa” Islamic center in Bologna, Italy, has reached unprecedented levels of absurdity and it is inexplicable and unjustifiable that the Italian authorities have not yet intervened.
It has reached the point that the deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, an undersecretary to the Prime Minister and two MPs of the government majority are forced to ask their Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, to intervene.
As if that wasn’t enough, even the intellectual, former director of the Corriere della Sera newspaper and former MEP, Magdi Cristiano Allam, had to write an open letter to the Minister of the Interior, Piantedosi, after being attacked by Khan in two videos made public at the beginning of July on the Islamic center’s Facebook page, in which the preacher accuses Allam of apostasy and slandering
Islam.
It is worth recalling that Allam has been under police protection for many years following his criticism of Islam and his conversion to Christianity. On July 16th, 2024, journalist and terrorism expert, Stefano Piazza, interviewed Magdi Allam for his Panorama video broadcast “Appuntamento in Piazza”. Allam explained that accusations of apostasy and slandering Islam are punished by death in the Islamic world.
The Washington Outsider has been closely following the Khan case due to his systematic verbal attacks against the United States, Israel, Semitism, and the Jews. Attacks that have been going on for far too long.
For instance, in May 2021, during a street speech in Bologna’s main square, “Piazza Maggiore”, while citing the Gospel of John, Khan stated that “…These Jews, I’m not saying all of them, but part of the Jews, they are cruel, they are cruel, they use intelligence to harm others”.
On April 26th, 2024, during one of his sermons, Khan said that: “the day America was born, unbelief was also born, the idea of murder, of genocide was also born, the father of falsehood called Semitism was born… America was born in 1700, in 1700 this word, Semitism, was also born. In 1779 that word was born, it was spread in 1781.” He then calls Semitism “a lie that was born with the fake democratic government that the world knows as America”.
During another sermon held on May 24th, Khan stated:
They constructed a word, Semitism. Semitism does not exist. No book talks about Semitism, anti-Semitism. This word was widespread after 1781…Then after 1870 they constructed the word anti-Semitism which came out of Germany…”.
Khan also praised Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran on several occasions and even posted photos of Hamas terrorists on his personal Facebook profile.
On May 26th when, during a sermon, he said:
“This little warrior, a group of people called Hamas. They made it clear to the world that these are cowards (Israel, Zionists), they can’t do anything against men, they can only go against children, against women, against civilians.
We have seen, so many brothers are afraid to say that Hamas is a sincere group, mujahideen, because they had bombed all the Muslims in Europe that I must necessarily say that Hamas is a terrorist organization. They tried with me even from 7/10 onwards, we always had this position that Hamas is not a terrorist organization. They are defending their territory.
We thank Allah sws through these Hamas mujahideen warriors who have discovered this reality, this truth, that these (Israelis, Americans) are terrorists, they are murderers…”.
On April 19th, he stated that “Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran and Yemen, do not want to kill, do not want to harm civilians” and subsequently invoked: “That punishment which we are waiting for it to come from Allah, with the hands of Hamas and Hezbollah…”.
Since October 7, 2023, Khan’s hate speech, divulged through the pulpit of his Islamic center and the association’s Facebook page, has escalated, with continuous, weekly verbal attacks. The preacher is using his role as imam to preach hatred against Israel, the United States, President Joe Biden, and anyone who holds different positions from him, such as Italian journalists and politicians who denounce his activity.
Khan publicly challenged and attacked Italian government officials and MPs, claiming that he is safe in Italy, that he can say whatever he wants and he even accused them of not knowing the Italian Constitution which, according to Khan, “provides protection to his speech, like an umbrella, while the Quran leads the way”. Why does he feel so confident? Up to the point of using the pulpit of his mosque to attack government officials and MPs? It is worth recalling that, in November 2023, Khan stated: “…In Italy, thanks to Allah, we are safe, and we have the right to speak.” Who knows what he meant?
The Italian media have repeatedly denounced the activity of the preacher who was also a guest on a well-known television program (Dritto e Rovescio) where he made statements against Jews and Judaism.
Despite all this, it took two parliamentary inquiries to get an answer from the Italian Interior Minister; inquiries submitted by members of his own majority, among other things.
However, the Ministry’s response was rather bland. The Minister of Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, did not show up and he instead sent undersecretary Nicola Molteni to present the Minister’s response to MPs Sara Kelany and Marco Lisei, on Tuesday July 9th:
The aforementioned (Khan) appears to be president of the Islamic cultural association “IQRAA” located in Bologna and, in the role of “expert” of the precepts of the Islamic religion, participates in numerous meetings (including television ones), where he has often expressed intransigent positions regarding issues on the West, on homosexuality, on the role of women and, after the attacks of 7 October, also on the Palestinian people and the Israeli Government, demonstrating appreciation for the actions carried out by Hamas. These statements, also reported on social profiles and on the web, have already been the subject of information to the Judicial Authority, aimed at allowing the latter to carry out its own assessments regarding the possible criminal relevance of the contents expressed.”
“Intransigent positions”? The Minister must understand that the statements made by Khan are not “intransigent positions”, they are attacks against the Jewish religion and the Jews (no matter if “not all”, as Khan often claims), against the United States, Israel, King Hussein of Jordan, homosexuals. They are statements of support for Hamas, a terrorist organization that is blacklisted by the European Union.
The Minister then added:
Beyond the individual case in question and with regard specifically to the protection of possible Israeli objectives present in Bologna, I would like to point out that the Jewish Synagogue is subject to fixed supervision by Army personnel, who also implement a dedicated dynamic towards of the Shoah Memorial, the Museum of Jewish Culture and the Jewish Cemetery. The activity in question is integrated by the patrols of the Police Force during the territorial control service and of the local D.I.G.O.S., which also monitors all further sensitive objectives present in the city”.
This surveillance is great, but there is no reason why the Jews of Bologna need to live in fear, and Khan should be allowed to spread such a dangerous narrative.
In addition, Piantedosi stated that “from 1 January 2023 to 5 July, 22 people linked to religious terrorism/extremism circles were arrested”. It is unclear what the term “religious” means…Were they all Islamists? If yes, why not state it clearly?
It must be noted that it would be sufficient for the Minister of Interior to sign an expulsion decree for Khan to have him immediately sent back to Pakistan. It is an administrative measure that Italy is well known for in Europe. It has been implemented regularly on those Islamist extremists indicated as a national security threat.
For instance, in April 2024, a 56-year-old Algerian citizen residing in the city of Udine was expelled for sharing pro-Hamas and pro-Palestinian jihad content on social media.
Khan used the pulpit of a mosque to do that, why is he therefore still preaching on Italian soil?
One additional, very interesting thing occurred on the night of July 10th, when the Facebook page of Khan’s Islamic center and his personal profile became inaccessible to the Italian internet traffic. Initially, it was believed that the Italian authorities had finally intervened but, instead, it turned out that such measure was taken by the Islamic Center. Both, the Iqraa Facebook page and Khan’s profile, could be seen abroad, while in Italy only by using a VPN. It must also be added that many of Khan’s followers were well aware of it, since they kept on interacting even after the blocking.
MP Sara Kelany, denounced this situation on July 15, through a public statement:
After the response of the Minister of the Interior to the inquiry presented by me in the Chamber and by Senator Lisei in the Senate on the violent preachings of Imam Zulfiqar Khan, the page of his cultural center Iqraa appears to be obscured. It is a pity that it is no longer visible only from Italy, but it remains visible from abroad and from VPN, and that its followers are aware of it, given that they continue to interact. It seems clear that the imam wanted to selectively obscure the contents, only after we posted the magnifying glass on his brazen and violent preachings against the West and against Israel. Considering that the Imam himself had launched attacks against those who had dared to condemn his words, it is very dangerous that today the Imam has decided not to make it visible, except for some users, perhaps believing that he can continue his ramblings by addressing only a radicalized public. We will lower our guard and continue to vigorously fight all forms of extremism, anti-Semitism and Islamic radicalism.”
As previously hinted, between July 6th and 8th , Khan posted two videos publicly attacking Magdi Allam, accusing him of being a misbeliever and obliging him to write an open letter to the Minister of Interior, Matteo Piantedosi. Here is the English translation of the letter:
Open letter to the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi on the convictions and warnings received from the Pakistani imam Zulfiqar Khan
Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi,
I am writing to express my concern for having been the object of particular attention by Zulfiqar Khan, a Pakistani citizen, self-syled imam of the Iqraa Islamic Center, located in Bologna in via Jacopo di Paolo 32/b.
On the Facebook profile of the Iqraa Islamic Center, on 6 and 7 July 2024, he held two sermons in front of the devotees of his mosque, recorded and published in two videos, entitled “Lack of knowledge of Magdi Allam”, in which he condemns me and warns me for my speech at the conference “October 7 in the geopolitics of Israel”, held in San Miniato (Pisa) on 30 June 2024.
I am concerned that a self-styled imam, already publicly distinguished for his violent statements especially against Jews, Israel and the United States, but also against homosexuals and our secular civilization, despite him being “monitored” by the police, has been the subject of a parliamentary question by Senator Marco Lisei and Deputy Sara Kelany of the majority government party, Brothers of Italy, in which she is asked to take action against him; his “immediate expulsion” was requested by the vice-President of the Council, federal secretary of the League and former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini; well, nevertheless, this self-styled imam wanted to give set aside for me two sermons and just as many videos in 48 hours to essentially condemn me as an “enemy of Islam” and “collaborator of Israel”.
In his two videos the self-styled imam underlined that I am an apostate, that is, a Muslim who has abandoned Islam: «A gentleman called Magdi Cristiano Allam, an Egyptian, was a Muslim, as he was, I don’t need to give advertising what kind of Muslim he was. Today that we know him as a Christian, I can safely say that he is far from the truth, far from the knowledge of the sacred books, far from religion.” All Muslims know that the apostate must be killed, in accordance with a saying and practice of Muhammad.
He accused me of being a “liar”, of telling lies in reference to Jesus and Mary, who are conceived as Muslim prophets in the Koran, underlining that I would consequently have insulted Islam: “Some verses of the Koran, of the Old Testament, of the New Testament, those who see, understand that God is unique, his characteristics no one can change, if thousands of Magdi Cristiano Allam come. Thousands of Magdi Cristiano Allam cannot put lies in books, they cannot let lies enter books, they cannot change the ideology of the prophets who have come.” Contempt against Islam is also a crime punishable by death.
He clarified, letting an intimidating intent emerge, that «we leave no room for liars, we leave no room for those who speak badly of Jesus Christ, who speak badly of any Jewish or non-Jewish prophet»; and that he will personally bear witness to “the truth until the last day, until my last breath.”He argued that I would be an ignorant or undignified person: “He lacks knowledge, or he lacks dignity, one of the two is certainly lacking, either he doesn’t have dignity or he doesn’t have knowledge.”
He presented me as a slanderer of Islam because I said, as he himself actually admits, that they want to subjugate Europe to Islam: «And this Magdi Cristiano Allam says that Muslims want all of Europe to submit to Islam Islam. Not even a verse of the Quran nor a hadis of Mohammad (Muhammad), peace and blessings be upon him, no Muslim says that you submit to Islam. We say that we submit to Allah, Allah, Allah god of the Jews, Allah god of the Christians, Allah god of the Muslims, Allah god of every being, every being, one Allah.”He concluded his second video with this warning: “So my advice to this Magdi Cristiano Allam, you need to review his knowledge, go and study the Bible. I am not telling you the Koran because as you have spewed out all your malice against Islam, against the Koran, when you read the Bible over time you understand the reality, what the Bible is saying, who you should follow, what your destination is, what is the path of success in this world and also in the Hereafter.”Mr. Minister, I was the civilian external to the institutions with the escort at the highest level in 2007, the year in which I published “Long live Israel”, and in 2008, the year in which I converted from Islam to Christianity by receiving baptism from the hands of Pope Benedict XVI.I am grateful to the State for having assigned me an escort since 2003, after our secret services became aware of the desire of the Palestinian Islamic terrorists of Hamas to kill me for my public condemnation of the suicide attacks perpetrated by them against Israelis.
The death threats implicit in the accusation of being an “enemy of Islam”, “apostate”, “traitor”, “collaborator of Israel”, were also uttered by representatives of the so-called “moderate Islam” in Italy, ideologically linked to the Brothers Muslims and to Hamas itself, of which it is an integral part.
However, in recent years, without public office and little television visibility, the escort assigned to me has been significantly reduced, to a level that I consider inadequate for my death sentence which remains unchanged. I trust in your re-evaluation of this issue, which is crucial for my safety and for the safety of the men in the escort responsible for protecting my physical safety and who share the same threat.
I would like to point out that the writer Salman Rushdie, sentenced to death for his novel “The Satanic Verses” in 1989 by the Founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, was miraculously saved from an Islamic terrorist attack 33 years later , on August 12, 2022. Because the condemnation of the “enemy of Islam” never lapses, just as the obligation to kill him remains valid until his death.
Thank you for your attention and I kindly await your response
Magdi Cristiano Allam
July 15, 2024
One thing is for sure, the Italian Minister of Interior needs to intervene. The response to the MPS’ inquiry is far from being satisfactory. It is unacceptable that the pulpit of Islamic centers become platforms for such a narrative. This is a dangerous precedent that could open the door to similar cases. Additionally, what if someone who is influenced by Khan’s narrative decides to take action? Hate speech is a very serious danger. The Italian authorities cannot say that they were not aware of the risk. Khan himself stated, in one of his sermons, that the Muslims attending his mosque asked him to calm down, but he would not. Enough is enough.