A liberal Arabic website is reporting that Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hanooti has prohibited Muslim children from having their photos taken with Santa Claus, calling the practice a’ sin’ and ‘an abomination’ that contravenes the tenets of Islam. According to a MEMRI translation:
The liberal Arabic website Elaph.com recently reported that the Mufti of Washington D.C., Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hanooti, prohibited Muslim children from having their photos taken with Santa Claus, as this is a’ sin’ and ‘an abomination’ that contravenes the tenets of Islam. The site emphasized that the Mufti’s position does not represent the view of most Muslims living in the U.S., and that the imam of a mosque in Maryland has even urged Muslims to celebrate Christmas along with the Christians as a means of promoting their integration in American society. The issue of Christmas celebrations has been a bone of contention among Muslims in Australia as well. Australian sources reported that Sheikh Yahya Safi, the imam of Australia’s largest mosque, the Lakemba Mosque in Sydney, has ruled that Muslims must not extend Christmas greetings to Christians. The Mufti of Australia, Ibrahim Abu Muhammad, said in response that these were irresponsible statements and that Islam respects other religions. [1] The following are excerpts from the Elaph article:[2] Washington Mufti Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hanooti: Taking Pictures With Santa – An Abomination ‘Muslim children’s affection for Santa Claus could have been an opportunity to prove that [the Muslims]are part of the multi-cultural social fabric of the U.S., after [some]other groups in American society have accused them of a tendency to isolate themselves socially. American-Muslim parents hoped that this year’s Christmas celebrations would break the ice between their children and their Christian friends…
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Sheikh Al-Hanooti’s online CV indicates multiple ties to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood including serving as a former Imam for the Dar Al Hijrah Mosque in Northern Virginia area, a former Imam of the Islamic Center of Passaic. and as a member of the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA). All three organizations have close ties to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. In addition, an analysis of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) reported on Sheikh Al-Hanooti’s ties to Hamas:
A 2001 FBI memo identifies current ISNA-affiliated Fiqh Council of North America member Mohammad Al-Hanooti as a participant in a 1993 Philadelphia meeting of “senior leaders of HAMAS, the Holy Land Relief Foundation and the Islamic Association of Palestine. The memo also cites FBI informants who said that Al-Hanooti “was a big supporter of HAMAS and that “it was well known in the Palestinian community in the northern New Jersey area that Al- Hanooti was an active HAMAS supporter, purportedly holding fund-raising activities, as well as supporting visitors to the United States from Israel and Jordan, to speak on behalf of HAMAS. ” Another FBI informant stated that “In 1993, that Al-Hanooti collected over six million U. S. dollars for support of HAMAS in Israel. ”
Finally, a a Hudson institute report identifies a Mohamed Hanooti as a leader of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood and explains how a 1988 U.S. Brotherhood document included him as one of the heads of its committees:
The same spreadsheet identifies a number of committees, focusing on such issues as finance, politics, social issues, curricula, security, and Palestine. Those identified as heads of committees may include individuals mentioned throughout this report: Mohamed Hanooti, Jamal Badawi, Bassam Othman, Abdurahman Alamoudi, and Hammad Zaki.The spreadsheet also identifies several organizations as being part of the U.S. MB. These groups were AMSS, AMSE, IMA, ISNA, MAYA, MSA, MISQ, and NAIT.